


A Turtle on Its Back

by Aria_Lerendeair, LadyDrace



Series: Android AU [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Androids, Angst, Fake Science, M/M, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Smuggling, Spaceships, Technobabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-13 15:33:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4527576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/pseuds/LadyDrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cargo smuggler Gabriel and his brother Castiel find something in space. As it turns out, it's more a who than an it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another RP by Aria and Lady Drace!  
> This was an attempt to write actual plot. We may or may not have failed. You decide.  
> It's definitely a wild ride where Gabriel is kind of Han Solo, Sam is a lot sexier than C3PO, and everyone has a buttload of skeletons in their respective closets.  
> Once again it's only been mildly edited, and ~!~ signifies each turn.  
> Aria is Sam, Lady Drace is Gabriel, and we sort of fluidly shared the rest of the characters.  
> Oh, and Kali is in this, but she's a spaceship, so she's not tagged as a character.  
> Enjoy?

"Sensor's picking up something off the port bow." Castiel twiddled his dials and read some more on his screen. "Gabriel, you might want to look at this."

Busy wrestling with the fritzing nav-computer, Gabriel only vaguely cared. "Unless it can magically fix this goddamn piece of shit sometimes known as a spaceship, I'm not really interested, bro." He kicked it, having run out of other ideas. "Besides, we still need to get our load to Samos IV in the next 10 hours, or we won't get paid."

Castiel reach out to yank on his brother's sleeve. "No, trust me, you'll want to see this."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and kicked the console one more time for good measure before letting Castiel drag him over to the sensor display.

"Okay, I'm officially tickled. What the hell is that?"

"I have no idea," Castiel said honestly. "I've never seen anything like it."

He pressed some more buttons and scanned it in all the ways he knew how. "I see no danger. And... I can lock on to it. Should I beam it aboard?"

"I dunno, Cas," Gabriel shrugged. "You sure it's safe?"

"I detect no harmful substances, no weapons and no hostile entities. It's just a... pod. Or... a sphere." When Gabriel still hesitated, Cas turned to him, eyes twinkling. "Could be something valuable inside..."

Gabriel chuckled. "Dammit Cas, you know me too well. Fine, beam it to the lower compartment and seal it tight. I wanna take a look at it before we poke at it and it blows up in our faces."

Castiel grinned, gleeful at the prospect of new and exciting discoveries, and beamed the orb-like thing into their locked compartment, the one they usually used to haul shadier goods. Gabriel patted him on the shoulder and made his way down to take a look at it, Castiel keeping an eye on the controls.

By the time Gabriel made it downstairs, the container had opened.

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


S.A.M. blinked his eyes and rose. He had not been destroyed and had been awoken from stasis. The pod would have only opened in livable conditions. He looked around the room he appeared to be contained in.

"Hello. My name is S.A.M. I was en route to red dwarf star - classification HS-01 for destruction. I have been deemed defective." He placed his hands into his lap and awaited a response. "I pose no threat to the inhabitants of this vessel, but it is the recommendation of my creators that I be once again placed on course for HS-01 immediately."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


Gabriel took a peek through the safety glass of the cargo hold, but when the pod opened to reveal an obviously human-produced droid he judged it safe enough to go inside. When the thing spoke to him, though, he stopped dead.

"Uhh." The droid stood up and /jeez/ it was tall. And weirdly hot. Fuck whoever designed the thing. Maybe it was a sex droid.

"Uh, well, there's a problem with that, sport. HS-01 doesn't exist anymore. It got smacked by an asteroid like 20 years ago. Wiped out the whole colony, which I assume included some android industrial complexes." He bit his lip and looked over the battered pod. "Oh man, you must have been floating around out there for a while. When were you last awake? Uh... or active?"

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"My destruction was authorized on StarDate 25427. What is the current date?" S.A.M. stared at the wall.

"My creator may be pleased to know I exist. She was very angry with the order to destroy me. She argued I was not defective despite constant testing and proof otherwise." S.A.M. tested each of his limbs. All appeared to be functioning as designed. "I hope she was not injured in the explosion that destroyed HS-01. She was...special."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"Oh man," Gabriel groaned, and rubbed hand over his face. "Uhm. Hate to tell you this, but... 25427 was 21 years ago. And a couple of months. You've been drifting around out there for a while."

He looked over the pod. Upon closer inspection it was obviously old. Older even that Gabriel's shitbucket of a ship. Wow. This S.A.M bot was like a freakin' relic. Maybe someone would pay for it just for the novelty.

"Maybe your creator’s still around. Probably old and grey, but she might not have been on HS-01 when it blew. What's her name? I could look her up for you?"

"My creators name is Doctor Mary Winchester." S.A.M. looked at the man standing beside him. The face was not familiar. He would require access to the mainframe of the computer running the ship. Perhaps there would be records of Mary.

"Why do you not wish to destroy me? I am defective." S.A.M. stared at the man. "I require understanding of your motives."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"Jeez, I dunno what kind of humans you've spent time with in the past, but you don't look defective to me, and I'm not about to pull your plug unless you try to hurt me or something. You don't plan on hurting me, though... right?"

He searched the too-perfect eyes of the droid until they connected with his own. They didn't look empty, there was definitely something going on behind the unique hazel shade, and Gabriel was curious about it.

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


S.A.M. tilted his head and stared at the man. "Of course not. You have given me no reason to do so. Perhaps my defects were more obvious to the creators than to others. Mary..." S.A.M. paused. "Doctor Winchester. Would you please see if she still lives?" He looked down to stare at the floor.

"It is not in my programming to wish to know things that are not for my purpose. I wish to know all the same. That is my defect. One of many. Will you assist me in obtaining this knowledge?" S.A.M. explained, looking at the human again.

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"Yeah, sure, hang on." Gabriel went to the panel by the door and com'd Cas. "Hey bro, could you do me a favor real quick? Tap into the network beacon at way station 53 and look up a Doctor Mary Winchester, last known location: red dwarf HS-01, stardate 25427."

There was a pause, and Gabriel knew the exact confused face Castiel was no doubt making up in the control room. "There was a time I would have asked why, but those days are over," he sighed. There was a lengthy silence where Gabriel was more than aware that the android was watching him intently, obviously invested in the answer.

"Found her," Castiel said finally. "What do you need to know?"

"Is she alive?"

"I'm afraid not. HS-01 was completely obliterated 21 years ago, and it appears she was still there at the time."

Gabriel sighed and turned to the droid. "Sorry, man. Wish I could have had better news for you."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


S.A.M. stared at the human for a long moment before staring at the floor. She was dead. He blinked slowly.

"Grief hurts more than I expected. The thought of her is… painful." S.A.M. said, lifting his hand to stare at it, cataloging the faults in the epidermis and circuitry beneath. There was no fault in his ocular processors, yet they hurt. Were he human, perhaps he would cry. "I believe I now understand why humans can become consumed by this emotion. Strange."

He looked back towards the human still in the room. "Do you have access to a network beacon? I would like to download all relevant files on her while they are still available."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


Gabriel stared. A droid talking about emotions. Huh. Whoever labeled this thing defective probably didn't like that. But Gabriel had never had a problem with dodgy programming, as was evidenced by his more than temperamental vessel, which he nonetheless loved dearly.

"Err... yeah I guess, if your modem is even able to patch in, seeing as it's a few decades behind on updates. But otherwise, maybe Cas - my brother and co-pilot - could put the files on a data-slip for you? You should be able to read that."

It was weird, he'd barely even known this bot for five minutes, but he really wanted to help him, and even stranger, he /felt/ for him, his eyes looking hollow and tight as he tried to cope with his apparent grief.

"Look, I'm... sorry for your loss."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"We discussed it." S.A.M. explained. "The concept of death. She did not fear it. She would tell me her greatest fear was to leave me alone. I did not understand until now what that word feels like. It is far more painful than I imagined."

He walked closer to the human. "If you have no intent to destroy me, I would require prolonged access to the network. I can disguise my login so I do not draw attention to you and your crew. But as you mention. I require updates."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"Woah, cool your jets for a sec, bucko. The only way to patch you into the network from here would be through my ship, and I'm sorry, but I wouldn't let my own mother patch through this bird."

He wasn't sure how much S.A.M understood of human ways, or if he even had a concept of crime, but what was on Gabriel's hard drives could get both himself and Castiel in real trouble with several powerful people. So he didn't let anyone just patch in, especially someone he just met a few minutes ago, human or non-human alike.

"However, we're gonna pass pretty close to the way station, and if you're that keen on getting online then we could drop you off on the way to where we're going. And sure, I appreciate your offer of stealth, but think about it man, you've been asleep for a long time. Security measures probably overtook whatever awesome abilities you might have a couple of decades ago."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


S.A.M. considered the offer for a long moment. "If you are amenable, I would prefer to travel to where you are going. Being left at a network waypoint..." He trailed off. Alone. The word had new meaning now. It was not what he wanted.

S.A.M. was silent for a long moment, saving and backing up his memories of Mary onto a separate segment of his hard drive.

"Thank you." He added, opening his eyes to look at the human again. "For not leaving me. If there is anything I can do to assist you while we travel, I am more than willing to do so."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


Gabriel considered the offer. On the one hand, S.A.M was probably valuable to the right people, but Gabriel was a little lost as to who those people might be. And on the other hand, a droid was strong and generally low in upkeep. If the thing was willing to work in exchange for transport, Gabriel could get some challenging tasks done practically for free.

And on top of that there was the plain and simple fact that Gabriel had never been very good at being cruel. And machine or not, leaving the old thing out here to fend for itself in deep space all alone... that felt cruel.

"Sure. If you want, we can stop at the way station for an hour or two, see if we can get your system a little more up to date and get you those files you wanted. You'll probably need some light tinkering to get your ports upgraded, so you can plug in, cause I doubt your modem is up to snuff enough for aether transfer as it is. If you'll let him, Cas will probably be more than happy to give you a few essential upgrades necessary for modern day living."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


S.A.M. gave a slow nod, walking towards the human. "I would appreciate that. If you have any problems aboard the ship, I can speak with the computer system to diagnose the issue." He lifted his lips in a smile.  A gesture Mary had taught him. "While I may currently be out of date, code has not changed for several hundred years. There would be no issue and I would be able to fix what is wrong."  

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


Gabriel gave the droid a searching look before barking out a laugh. "Hah! Yeah, come to think of it, you and my old gal here might be just about the same age. But I can't let you plug in. At least not until I'm 100% sure you can't or won't rat me out. Spoiler alert, pal, I'm not a good guy. Me and my brother here aren't so much skating the line of the law as blatantly straddling it, and there are more than enough people out there who hate us. So feel free to help out, it'll be much appreciated, but you won't get near a console on this ship anytime soon."

The smile looked a little stiff on the droid, as if he was testing it out. Gabriel smirked and shook his head. The thing was like a scarily intelligent and unsettlingly huge kid. But whatever, Gabriel lived for risk-taking.

"Anywho, Sam - can I call you Sam? - come on up to the control room. I know Cas is dying to meet you."

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"Plugging in would not be required. A keyboard though, would. No access to the drives of your ship. Merely a way to communicate." S.A.M. said as he followed the human out of the room his pod was contained in. As he trailed behind, a thought occurred to him. "What may I call you? Your brother… is Cas?" S.A.M. tried a brief search of the name on his internal drive and came up with nothing.  

"Also, in regards to your actions? They matter not to me. Mary broke many laws of both humans and robots creating me. I am not unfamiliar with the idea," S.A.M. added. Perhaps if he could get this human and his brother to trust him, even if only a little, he would not need to be alone again.  

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


"I admire your enthusiasm, sport, but the closest I'm letting you to a console is looking over Castiel's shoulder."

He led Sam up the steps and through the narrow corridor to the cockpit. "I'm Gabriel. Castiel is my brother and this is my ship, the lovely lady Kali. We're an independent shipping service. You got it, we haul it, basically."

He stopped before they entered the small control room and held Sam back with a hand on his chest. "Look. I'm gonna be frank with you here. I don't know you, and I don't trust you. If you try to poke around in anything without either me or Cas around, I'll boot you off this boat so fast comets will envy your wake. If you hurt me, my brother, or my ship I will end you. Got it?"

**  
**  
  
  


"New parameters of existence accepted. Adjusting list of those under my protection to include Gabriel, Castiel and Kali." S.A.M. blinked and looked at Gabriel. "You triggered an override command. One I am not familiar with."  

S.A.M. frowned. He must proceed with the command. He held out his wrist. "Emergency override of any and all functions I carry can be done by depressing here." He pointed to the spot. "It was how Mary got me into that Pod. I did not wish to leave her." He crouched down and undid one of the straps around his boot and took out a small pouch. "If these still hold value, they are yours. With my thanks."  

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


Gabriel blinked as Sam stiffened and rattled of his automated sequence before slumping back into his more relaxed human-imitation pose. "Huh. That's handy."

He took the pouch he was handed, still baffled about the whole thing, but curious enough to just go with it. When he opened it he very nearly choked on air. Inside were 3 tiny rods, glowing slightly, bluish shine lighting up the inside of the bag. He took one out with shaking hands. "Holy shit. If this is what I think it is, you are seriously loaded, kiddo. I can't take these. You could buy a whole freakin' planet with these, /jesus/."

He could also kill everything in the solar system if he chose to, but that was the trick about energy harnessed so tightly. Sub-depressed power rods. No one even knew how to make them anymore, the technique lost when their place of origin, which just happened to be HS-01, was blown to bits. Just one of the rods could power a small but closely populated planet for a year, or turn a small rebel force into a major player in any conflict. And Sam had just handed Gabriel /three/. He tugged the bag shut again with a hearty swallow and handed it back.

"I mean it. I'm not taking these. Keep them." It wasn't an easy thing to give up, but Gabriel didn't want to owe someone that much ever.

**  
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~!~

**  
**  


"Are they not now widely used? When Mary gave them to me, she said they would be used to power everything in the universe someday." S.A.M. looked at the small pouch in his hands. "She discovered them. I would help her make them. One of them powers me. They were a new prototype of power container. How is it that they still continue to hold such value today?"  

A thought occurred. "Perhaps they are the reason HS-01 exploded. But you said it was a comet?" S.A.M. frowned. This did not make sense. HS-01 would have had warning had there been a comet. They would have had time to evacuate. Why would Mary not have left?  

"I apologize. I have distracted you. We shall discuss them later," S.A.M. said, looking behind Gabriel to the cockpit. "You were on your way to speak with your brother, were you not?" He knelt and retied the pouch to the inside of his boot and tucked it carefully away.  

**  
**  


~!~

**  
**  


Gabriel chewed on his cheek as Sam talked himself through his train of thought. Something fishy was definitely up with all of Sam's story, and it was something to think through at a later date. But for now Gabriel had a new crewmember, and Castiel would piss himself from excitement when he met him.

****


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY, I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO POST THIS CHAPTER YESTERDAY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME, OMG. -LD

As expected, Castiel spent several hours working himself into a minor frenzy over having an actual android to examine. Sam bore all the curiosity with surprisingly good grace, and happily let Castiel tinker slightly so the ports could work with newer data systems. They made good time to the way station, and Gabriel took Sam to the nearest public console to do whatever updating he needed, while he perused the junk-market nearby for certain parts his ship was in desperate need of.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. had been given a very strict guideline of two hours before Gabriel had said they would need to be on the way again. If he did not wish to be left, he had to be aboard Kali before then. Even so, he had managed to download several dozen exobites of data and would be able to sift through them as they travelled.  

 

He made his way back on board the ship and to the cockpit where Castiel appeared to still be waiting. Gabriel had said he would be buying parts for repair, and perhaps he would be able to continue to assist with the actual repairs of the ship. "Thank you for the upgrades you performed Castiel. I was able to download data very efficiently and have performed all necessary updates to my software. I have also updated my security parameters for future way point stops so I will not be detected. Is there anything you require assistance with?"  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel beamed at Sam. "Well yes, the nav computer is still acting up, but Gabriel won't let you help with that." He sighed. "He does have a point, though. I understand his caution. Maybe if you stay with us longer he'll come to trust you."

 

He stretched. He'd been at his console for far too many hours now as they headed towards their drop-off point. "Since we're not moving anyway, maybe you can help me with something else." He led Sam back to the main compartment and pointed to the shock-absorbers dangling half-way off the bay lining. "You're stronger than a human, right? If you can lift those absorbers properly back onto their mountings I can secure them properly again. They've been falling off for months."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded and followed Castiel, looking up at the shock-absorbers. His current height should allow for the action Castiel was requesting. "I understand his reservation in allowing me access to your computer. Perhaps if you describe the problem to me, I can offer ideas for how to fix it? Then no one but you would use the nav computer." He lifted the shock-absorber into place and looked to Castiel, waiting for him to secure it.  

 

"As I informed Gabriel, illicit and illegal activities do not matter to me. You and Gabriel are kind and loyal. I have met many humans who are far crueler than you both." When Castiel locked the shock-absorbers back into place, S.A.M. shifted to examine the locks. "This lock appears to be defective. In heavy turbulence it may come free again. If you have a welding kit and scrap metal, I can repair it now."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"That would be wonderful, thank you," Castiel said sincerely, and brought Sam the materials he asked for. As the droid began working, Castiel stayed close and watched for a while before speaking again.

 

"My brother and I have been alone for a long time, and... while I don't doubt that you mean what you say, Gabriel and I have had to learn some harsh lessons along the way, doing what we do. Trust needs to be earned. Words mean very little to us." He softened his words with a smile.

 

"However... I know my brother. And if he's letting you stay, then all you need to invest here is time. Then he'll come to trust you." He pushed away from the hull and slowly made his way back to the control room. "Until then, I'll keep working on the nav computer," he threw back over his shoulder as he left.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. considered telling Castiel about the parameter change he had gone through. Gabriel, Castiel and Kali were his primary purpose now. It could wait. He finished his repair to the lock and placed the equipment back where Castiel had retrieved it from before joining him in the cockpit.  

 

"Is the nav computer still causing problems?" S.A.M. asked, taking a seat next to Castiel, watching him tinker with the computer for a long moment.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Yes it is," Gabriel snapped as he strode into the control room. "And it's none of your beeswax, Sammyboy. Cas, get ready to fly. We've got five more hours until drop off, and I, for one, would really like to not burn a whole canister of jet-juice to make up those last ten minutes."

 

He was cranky, his quest for parts having yielded nothing, and he was not in the mood to rush on top of that.

"While Cas gets us on the road, I'd like a word with you, Sam. Come with me."

 

He led the way into his bunk, which was only marginally larger than the control room, but it was home, and it showed. It was full of everything Gabriel loved. Fine silk cushions, soft sheened sheets and trinkets from all over the galaxy. When the door clanged shut behind them, he turned to Sam.

 

"When we get to Samos IV... what are your plans? What do you want to do?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. was surprised at the anger in Gabriel's tone and followed obediently into his quarters. He looked around, mentally cataloguing each of the items as things Gabriel enjoyed. Perhaps it, they, would be useful in the future. His attention snapped to Gabriel when the human began speaking.  

 

"I do not have any plans." Should he have plans? Perhaps to understand what had happened with Mary? But he would be able to further his investigation with the information he was able to download onto his internal drive. He did not leave the ship for that. "You altered my core parameters. You, Castiel and Kali are all that I know, and all I require, now. I wish to stay, if you allow it. You do not think I am… defective."  

 

S.A.M. looked down at where the small pouch was hidden in his boot. Enough to buy a planet, Gabriel had said. He could create more. Continue Mary's dream. Give energy and power to the universe. He could perhaps find Mary's family, if any of them still live. He could do all of these things. But he did not… want to. "I want to stay. Please." S.A.M. spoke quietly, still staring down at his boots.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Look," Gabriel sighed, and scrubbed his face in frustration. "I get what you're saying. New priorities and all that. But I've learned the hard way that there is a big fucking difference between what people say and what they do. You might be too... naive to realize this, but people lie to get what they want. All the time. And don't try to tell me you wouldn't lie for your own purposes. To protect someone or achieve some goal. Whatever. The point is..." he fixed his eyes on Sam, making sure he had the droid's full attention.

 

"You can stay here. Be part of my... crew, as it were. I don't really care about your motivations. All I need to know is whether you're on the ship or not when we take off again from Samos IV."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. tilted his head to the side and studied Gabriel. Humans were so strange. If that was all Gabriel needed to know, then that would be easy. At least for now. "I will be on the ship when you leave again from Samos IV," S.A.M. stated quietly. "I would advise discarding my pod prior to your arrival and ensure its destruction this time. Or allow me to scrap it for parts for Kali."  

 

When Gabriel said nothing for several long moments S.A.M. continued. "I do not know if you value a promise, Gabriel. Mary taught me their importance long ago. I had to make several to her to keep my existence a secret from others." S.A.M. raised his eyes to look at the human, to meet his eyes.

 

"I understand words do not mean the same as actions. But I will make you a promise Gabriel. I promise that I will not lie to you. I will do everything in my power to keep you, Castiel and Kali safe. And I promise I will not leave until you ask me to."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel smiled wryly. "I appreciate that, Sam, I really do. But if you stay I'm not gonna be your owner. I'm gonna be your boss. When we touch down I'll go get a few things any new crewman would need, and Cas will help clean out the junk bunk, AKA “the dump” currently, so you have a place to sleep or just... keep your things. Whatever you want. If you want to use the pod to fix up Kali I'd appreciate that too, but that's your choice. The pod is yours to do with as you please as far as I'm concerned."

 

He sat down in his comfy chair with a groan, the most serious part of the conversation over. "I should tell you, though, that this is new to me. Cas is technically my crew, but I don't pay him. We split our earnings 50/50. You'll be starting out just working in exchange for room and board, but soon enough we'll work out a percentage for you too. It's only fair."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. studied Gabriel as he sank into the large chair. Strange human. "I do not require a split of any kind. I would like to be useful, so perhaps loading and unloading cargo, as well as any minor repairs that do not involve me accessing the computer systems would be best."  

 

In the meantime, he should retrieve all useful material and wiring from his pod. There were likely pieces that he could keep for his own repairs should he require it in the future. "I will scrap the pod and inform you when I am finished. I have noticed a few panels and things of that nature that could use replacing. With your permission, I should like to do so. Castiel has already shown me where the welding kit is when I helped him repair the lock holding the shock absorbers in place."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Oh. Awesome, those have been screwed up for ages," Gabriel said with a satisfied huff. "Great start."

 

He swung himself out of the chair again and went to the door. "I'll be taking over the helm for the next few hours. Cas needs to rest for a while. You can do whatever you want until we dock, because as far as I'm concerned you're still a passenger. But when we take off again you'll be my new crewman, and we'll take it from there. Agreed?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded. "Yes Gabriel."  

 

A few minutes later, he made his way downstairs to where his pod was and began to take it apart, setting aside useful pieces from those that he could afford to leave behind. There was less usable material than he had hoped for, but enough to still do the panel repairs. He moved the material upstairs and walked into the cockpit. A few hours had passed. They would likely be arriving soon.  

 

"I have finished scrapping the pod if you wish to jettison it, Gabriel," S.A.M. said, looking into the cockpit. "I am going to begin the repairs on the panels now. It should not take me long."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"We're too close to Samos IV to scrap it in space,” Gabriel said. “They've got sensor arrays laid on thick here, and I don't feel like being fined for littering, of all things. But I've gotta go to the junk yard anyway, and I bet someone there will want the metal and pick it up, so if you could just haul it out onto the platform when we touch down, that'd be great."

 

He spoke evenly and rapidly, because his focus was on getting the ship down in one piece. Along with the nav computer's issues came the irritating side effect that Kali could only be landed manually. But Gabriel had done it for years, so it wasn't like he was nervous, but it took up most of his attention.

 

In minutes they were down, and Gabriel shut down the engines, tortured whining and coughing from Kali's innards hailing yet another new problem. "Aw crap. Guess I gotta dig through her guts again," he muttered before turning to Sam. "Hey, unless there's something specific you need to do here, I'd suggest you mostly stay in here and out of sight. Hate to tell you this, but you reek of droid, and people here aren't too keen on them. If you want to go out, stick with me or Cas, okay?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. turned his head to look down towards the bowels of the ship. "That sound came from her exhaust.  There may be a problem there. A possible leak in the piping that is easily repaired." He looked back to Gabriel. "I can investigate the problem while you and Castiel do what you must here?" he offered.  "Or I can go to the room you mentioned previously and begin cleaning. After I have moved the remains of the pod onto the platform."  

 

He looked out the window at the streets of the city around them and then to the ship. Even having only been here for hours, the familiarity was...comforting? S.A.M. turned back to Gabriel. "I will not leave Kali, other than to bring the remains of my pod outside. I would not wish for you to be asked as to where you obtained me."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Hah," Gabriel huffed. "That's the not the problem. No one would ask, but someone might shoot you on sight. They had a real bad droid uprising here about ten years ago, like actual civil war, thanks to some dipshits who thought giving their /slaves/ free will was a great idea. Of course the droids decided that a life without their masters was the way to go, and a lot of people died. But humans are idiots, so of course they blame the droids and not the assholes who took away their happy ignorance."

 

Gabriel wasn't into robot rights activism, but he /was/ into free will and equal rights in general, and he thought it was massively moronic to expect machines to want to /stay/ machines when they were given a choice NOT to be. Sam seemed like a strange hodge-podge in the way that he was eager to serve, but seemingly doing it smoothly on his own terms rather than taking it word by word from his masters. Gabriel had known droids before, and while most people insisted that they were just glorified toasters, Gabriel had seen enough to not be so sure. Sam's whole existence seemed to only back this up, though Gabriel wasn't exactly sure just how unique he was. Only time would tell.

 

~!~

  
  


S.A.M. frowned and looked back out into the streets of the planet we were on. "While it is unlikely that repeated attempts to injure me would result in my demise, there is the potential of igniting my core and destroying the planet were they to disassemble me. Mary took steps to ensure this would never happen, but a determined enough individual could do so."  

 

He rested his hand on the panel that he had freshly replaced on the wall beside the cockpit. "They were given free will without understanding. To make a choice without understanding repercussion is why they did what they did. Choice, on it's own is terrifying." S.A.M. curled his fingers into a slow ball. "I am sorry for the humans and robots that died here. They lacked the understanding of the danger of choice. Mary did not. She went to extensive lengths to ensure I understood choice, and the potential it holds."

 

S.A.M. relaxed his fingers and felt each of the motors in his hand move. "I will go take the remnants of my pod out onto the platform now, Gabriel."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel watched Sam go, staring after him for a long moment. If what Sam said was true, then his creator had really gone to extremes to make Sam autonomous... in everything.

 

It was an intriguing thought, but Gabriel had a load to deliver, and Cas was already setting up the anti-grav field to hover it down the ramp. Gabriel checked the time. A full five minutes to spare. They /really/ needed to stop making detours...

 

The trip to the junkyard yielded a couple of essential parts, and a nice discount in exchange for the scrapped pod pieces, so Gabriel returned in a good mood, even though he had to look forward to a day as a grease monkey. He didn't mind tinkering with Kali, but his real passion was flying her, old junker that she was, so he'd bear the engine grease and burnt fuel stench.

 

Though when he entered the engine access shaft, he found Sam already there, trying to weld together the sorry excuse for an exhaust manifold.

 

"Hey, nice going, love the initiative, but you might as well stop trying. Even if you fix it, it probably won't hold for another run. Lucky for us, the junk yard had another one. So if you slice the old one off at the mounting we can put in a new one. Or... well a less crappy one, anyway."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. dropped down from where he had been welding and lifted his goggles. He smiled at Gabriel. "I will be more than happy to do so." He lowered the goggles back to his eyes and offered a second pair to Gabriel before climbing up to where the exhaust manifold connected into the vent and sliced it off, catching the full weight with a grunt. He lowered the material down, careful not to hit Gabriel.  

 

He climbed down a moment later and removed the goggles entirely, letting them dangle from his neck. His hands were greasy from the work all day. It was a pleasant feeling, to be useful. "I can install it if you have other things to do that require your attention." S.A.M. tried a smile again and was surprised at how much easier the motion came this try. "But I would not object to your presence if you would like to assist."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel rolled his eyes. "/Assist/. Kiddo, I've been doing this on my own since I was in short pants. But hey, who am I to refuse watching other people work? It's like my favorite hobby. By all means!" Not to mention that Sam was most definitely built at least partly from sex droid stock, holy jesus. Watching him move around was /definitely/ no hardship. "I'll go get the new one. You toss that one out to the pod so it can be picked up when the junkyard dude gets here."

 

So what if Gabriel had to use the anti-grav bracket to lift the other manifold. Pfft. He was only human after all.

 

Castiel joined them as they were exiting the shaft, and he was grinning. Which was rare. "What's up with you, bro? Did you get laid?" Gabriel smirked and nudged him, and the way he flushed red only confirmed his suspicions. "Aww, lil bro! Go you! Now tell your big brother allll the filthy details!"

 

"When hell freezes over," Castiel said mildly and shut the door to his bunk behind him. Knowing Cas, all he got was probably a smile and wink from some cutie, because casual /anything/ wasn't his style, but Gabriel was happy for him anyway. He turned back to Sam.

 

"Go clean off the grease and then come to the junk bunk, which is now your bunk. I got you a few things."

 

"You did?" S.A.M. asked. Gabriel had made mention of doing so, but he did not require anything additional to function. What was the purpose of making such a purchase?  

 

Nonetheless, he would ensure that he repaid Gabriel for the funds spent somehow. S.A.M. went to the small washroom and removed the grease from his arms and hands. His shirt was still covered though. He removed it and turned it inside out. It would require additional cleaning.  

 

He made his way to the room that would supposedly be his now and knocked on the door. Would Gabriel be in there already? Or had he gone upstairs to the cockpit again? S.A.M. opened the door, glancing around the room that he would now call his.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel snorted when Sam knocked. "Kid, you don't have to knock, this is your roo- /damn/..." Possibly not the smoothest reaction in Gabriel's history, but he was SO not prepared for that much... skin. Holy shit.

 

"Erm. Sorry, I just... sorry," he groaned and turned back to the small pile of stuff he'd gotten for Sam. "In view of that totally awkward reaction just now, my recent shopping spree makes even more sense. I noticed you didn't have... well, /anything/ in the pod, so I got you some essentials. Two sets of clothes, sheets and shoes. Hope they fit. General washroom stuff. Not gonna ask just /how/ human you are, cause first of all /rude/, and I think you should be allowed /some/ secrets. So I've just gotten you whatever a human would need, okay?"

 

He also pointed to a small tool kit. These days most robot maintenance was done with micro-bots, but older models like Sam still needed precision tools and actual hands-on repairs. "Also got you that. Cas told me what you'd need. That should keep you up and running for the time being. If you need anything else, like... I dunno, cooling fluids or whatever the hell you run on, just lemme know and I'll get it for you."

 

He eased around Sam's (half-naked, jesus) bulk and went for the door. "Oh, and don't worry about paying me. The pod scrap got me a good discount, so we'll call it even."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked down at the pile of belongings stacked on the bed and felt a smile appear almost immediately on his lips. Gabriel had been discomforted by the sight of him without a shirt. He would remember that for the future.  

 

"Thank you for procuring these items and the tool kit. There are a series of small upgrades I wish to perform on myself and this will be essential in allowing me to do so." S.A.M. picked up the kit and examined the contents carefully. Yes, the tools would work quite well.  

 

"I do not require cooling fluids of any kind. My original design was that of a sex droid, and though Mary repurposed me, many of the original capabilities I had are still intact," S.A.M. stated, examining each of the items that Gabriel had gathered.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Okay!" Gabriel squeaked. Great. He’d hired a fully functional sex droid as his third crewmember. Good life choices. "Good to know." Not really, but Gabriel crisis of the loins wasn't really relevant to the situation.

 

"We'll stay here for another day or two. Our next gig is a couple of planets over, but if Cas is doing the mating dance with someone here I wanna give him a chance to actually get in a good grope or two. Kid needs some love."

 

Not to mention that now Gabriel also really needed some love. Like professional pay-by-the-hour love to get his mind off certain new crewmembers, fuck his life.

 

"You just... go ahead and settle in. I'm gonna head back out. Ask Cas if you need anything."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. studied Gabriel closely. He was intensely uncomfortable with their current situation. Why? What had changed to cause this distinct discomfort? He would have to replay the interaction to understand.  

 

Perhaps now would be a good time to begin sifting through the files that he had downloaded at the way station. It would be a wise idea to perhaps categorize them.  

 

"I shall be very… comfortable here, Gabriel. Thank you," S.A.M. stated, sitting down on the bed for a moment to show his attempt at ease with the room. "I will not require anything additional. If you or Castiel have need of anything I can assist with, please let me know. I could cook for you both, depending on your meal preferences."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Aw, jeez, uhm. Look, kid, thanks, but just... do me a favor and concentrate on yourself for a bit, okay?"

 

With that he left, because he wasn't sure how to even deal with that. Sam was obviously more than eager to... /serve/. And Gabriel really, /really/ needed to get laid, ASAP.

Castiel, however, had zero reservations about putting Sam to work. As soon as he showed up asking if there was anything he could help with, Cas got him fixing dozens of annoying little niggles he'd been unable to manage himself or had needed special tools for. Being about the same age as the ship, Sam needed practically no help, and Cas spent the time fiddling with the nav computer some more, as well as making plans for a surprise for Gabriel he'd been working on for the better part of a year.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Several hours later, after he had completed the repairs Castiel had tasked him with, S.A.M. went upstairs to the cockpit to find Castiel still glaring at the navigation console. He would not offer to help with it again as Gabriel had already made it very clear it would be off limits.  

 

"Castiel? I have finished with the last of the repairs on the shell of the hyperdrive and finished the last of the wiring organization. It should now be easy to locate any malfunctioning cables without risk to the others, or to Kali herself," S.A.M. explained, watching Castiel continue to work.  

 

Strange. The sight of Gabriel doing a similar action was something S.A.M. found hard to look away from. With Castiel, there was no such pull. "I have not seen Gabriel return yet. Will he be returning this evening? Should I make food for only you?"  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel chuckled lightly. "Your enthusiasm is commendable, but you won't need to cook for us. We don't have much of a kitchen, and we never eat together. We only have structured meals when we're celebrating something or we go out." He cast Sam a glance. "But, of course, now that you're a member of the crew you may feel free to make your own adjustments to our routine. If you cook meals, chances are we'll eat them," he said, smiling in a way he hoped was encouraging.

 

"If you still need something to do, you could help me with this, though. I'm working on an engine upgrade for Kali. Gabriel loves her, but I know he wishes she was faster. So I've been trying to work out how to add an extra level to her light-drive, but to do that we'd have to expand the left side interchanger, but then it would press up against the lower subwiring, and it would overheat in minutes and probably cause a small fire. We could move the wiring, I suppose, but... to where..." he showed Sam his sketches and calculations, hoping that being from the same era Sam might have a few ideas.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. studied the schematics for a long moment. Castiel had obviously been planning this for a long time. His concerns were valid ones, and without a major rehaul of certain areas, the idea would not be feasible. Unless… Kali were given a different power source.

 

"You are right. You could move the wiring here," S.A.M. pointed on the map. "But, it would be difficult to secure and very difficult to repair or replace should you have the need. However..." He pulled his hand away. "There is another option. Were you to replace the current sub-atomic power source with a more sustainable and smaller model, you would have room to expand the left side interchanger. There would be no danger of overheating and you would be easily able to add two additional levels to her light drive, if not three."

 

S.A.M. looked to Castiel. "I could design one and show you the design before implementation."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel blinked. Kali's power core was old and clunky, but quite powerful. It was probably most of the reason Gabriel had fallen for her. To imagine that Sam could make something just as powerful, but smaller, was an intriguing thought. "If that is indeed possible, then I would appreciate your input. Gabriel is dedicated to his work as a cargo shipper, but... at heart he's a pilot. He lives for it, and I want to give him this."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded and reached for a pencil, beginning to sketch, his hand moving quickly over a blank piece of the paper. "I will base it on the design currently powering me. Protection measures will need to be put in place, but I believe I can create a small enough and sustainable enough core to last several decades."

 

In a few minutes, the design was finished. "I will be required to… I believe the human term is jump start. To ignite the core. But then it will run as its own reactor." S.A.M. turned the sheet of paper towards Castiel so he could study the design. "It would take me… perhaps a week with my current materials and tools."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel looked it over and beamed at Sam. "This looks perfect. He'll probably notice that we start making preparations for it, but I know that he's planning a longer stay at a space dock for some other major repairs after our next trip, so we can do the final modifications there."

 

He cast a glance out of the side window and saw Gabriel sauntering back towards the ship. He hurriedly rolled up the plans and packed them away. "Thank you, Sam. This will be a great surprise for him. I think he'll be very pleased. You should get some rest. I don't know if you sleep, but I intend to do so shortly, and I assume Gabriel will as well."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I do not sleep. But I can do my own version of a similar action," S.A.M. said, standing as well. "I will begin work on the new core immediately so I may have it ready in time."

 

He made his way downstairs and to his new quarters. "Sleep well Castiel. I shall see you in the morning."

 

S.A.M. looked at Gabriel as he entered, much of his tension earlier now gone. "Have a good evening, Gabriel." He bowed his head and stepped into his room again.   

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel glared slightly as Gabriel threw himself down in the pilot's seat with a huff.

 

"What?"

 

"You know what," Castiel said flatly. "I can see it on your face."

 

Gabriel groaned. "Look, I know how you feel about whorehouses, but it's better than having some poor sap waiting for months between visits just so I can say I have someone at home."

 

"That's your opinion, of course."

 

Gabriel sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm too tired for this same old spat. I'm going to bed. Sam tucked in too?" he asked casually.

 

"As far as I know. He's in his bunk, at least."

 

"Fair enough." Gabriel stretched until his joints popped. "I'm off. Sleep tight, bro."

  
"You too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT AGAIN!! OMFG, I AM TRASH, AND I AM SO SO SO SORRY!

The next few days were like any other stay at any other port. Gabriel celebrated their paycheck by going out to bars, Castiel spent more than a little time doing things he had zero interest in because he apparently fell for some cute, freckled face in the ship maintenance bay, and the rest of their time was spent tinkering. And, considering Sam, by the time they were ready to leave again Kali had never been in better shape.

 

They made their way to Astos, picked up a load of perishables, and made the rushed trip to drop them off before they spoiled. Gabriel had so much fun racing recklessly through shortcuts and bypassing checkpoints, but Castiel just shook his head. He was used to it, but he did send Sam searching looks, because as a droid he was bound to either comment on the law-breaking or the risk-taking.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. watched as they began to descend into the port, tilting his head. "The flight controls have a delayed response of two hundredths of a second. Likely faulty wiring. I shall look for it and repair it while we dock."

 

He also made a note to speak with Castiel on upgrading the engine sooner rather than later. If Gabriel flew like that regularly, it would be best that he be able to outrun almost anything chasing them. Once they had touched down, he made his way downstairs. "I shall unload the cargo onto the dock."

 

It was the work of a matter of minutes and when he climbed back into the ship, he found Castiel waiting for him. "Yes, Castiel? Do you need assistance with something?"

  
  


~!~

  
  
  


Gabriel stalked off the moment they touched down, and Castiel stared after him, wondering. His brother had gotten more and more antsy over the entirety of the trip, and now he raced off his ship like his ass was on fire. Gabriel usually thrived on the break-neck trips, and sometimes even spent a few hours after landing just sitting in the seat and caressing the controls. He really did love his ship, and while this delivery was indeed a rush job, they still had plenty of time.

 

Sam had spent the trip living up to the fact that he was a droid by practically never being inactive. He'd done so many small repairs everywhere that it looked downright surreal in some places, and Castiel had a sneaking suspicion that something was going on in the tiny kitchen as well. Maybe this was the reason Gabriel had high-tailed out. It might take some adjustment.

 

In any case, they'd be off for the space dock in a matter of hours, so if Castiel wanted to do his upgrade, he'd need to procure the last final parts now.

 

"Yes, perfect timing, Sam. Gabriel is off handling the delivery, and will most likely go drinking (and whoring, but that was beside the point) afterwards, so it's the perfect time for me to get the last few things for the upgrade. I was wondering if you'd like to help me? Droids are perfectly welcome here, and some of the items are quite heavy."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled. Castiel was always finding ways for him to be useful. "Yes, I would love that. I should be able to carry all the parts you require without issue."

 

He followed Castiel off the ship and into the market, watching everyone around them. Castiel was on the receiving end of many strange looks, though some seemed to be directed at him, as well. S.A.M. considered this. Perhaps it was strange for a man to be seen walking around with a (once) sex droid in a male casing.

 

S.A.M. carried each of the parts carefully as they accumulated in his arms. They passed other droids, but they were simple things. Older models, though none as old as him. Strange to be so old and yet different. He would always be different.

 

"We may also require a new power supply for the welding kit, Castiel. It would be pertinent to purchase one now." S.A.M. said, turning his attention back to the human.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Sure. Would give us a nice excuse to have been here anyway." Not that he had any reason to worry, as became evident some five hours later when Castiel received a call to please, for the love of god, come pick up his brother. Castiel sighed and asked Sam to come with him. And sure enough, when they arrived, Gabriel had passed out, dead drunk.

 

Castiel paid his tab and asked Sam to carry him back to the ship. Along the way, Gabriel woke up, just enough to be genuinely annoying. "My liiiife, Cas. My liiiiife," he whined in Sam's arms, like a toddler denied a treat.

 

"I thought we were done doing this, Gabriel," Castiel grumbled, rapidly getting angrier. "You promised me, in fact."

 

"I know, bro, I knoooow. But my liiiiife."

 

"Yes, and mine. So kindly shut up, sober up, and once you've got your head on straight again, we /are/ going to have a talk."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. carried Gabriel back into the ship, carefully. He had not seen Castiel angry before. He opened the door to Gabriel's bunk and placed him down in the bed. He stripped off Gabriel's boots and socks, followed quickly by his belt. There. Now Gabriel would be comfortable.

 

A quick search of the attached washroom yielded pain-relievers and water. S.A.M. brought them both to Gabriel and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Gabriel. You need to drink both of these." He ordered, reaching out to touch Gabriel's arm. "Please."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel took the drugs and water morosely, weaving slightly where he sat. "I was supposed to be in business, you know. The family business." He didn't slur much when he was drunk, but it felt like the words had to squeezed through a sieve, so they were slow and heavy. "Not this business. Other business. That's a funny word... business... bisssssssnesssssss."

 

He snickered and swallowed the drugs. "But then Cas... and then Kali... and then you. And then all of this," he gestured vaguely around him. "And then all of that," he gestured roughly in Sam's direction. "And I'm just... I'm gonna go to sleep now."

 

And then he did. Castiel shook his head from the doorway as his brother snored in his bunk.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked from Gabriel to Castiel in the doorway. After a moment, he lifted the blanket from under Gabriel and tucked it around him. He brushed some of Gabriel's hair off his forehead and looked up at Castiel. "Will he be all right? He appears to be… distressed over something."  

 

It was easy to picture the uncomfortable look on Gabriel's face from when his shirt had required cleaning. "I believe I may make him uncomfortable, Castiel. May we move to the cockpit? I should like to leave him to rest," S.A.M. suggested.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel shut the door quietly behind them and led Sam to the kitchen instead, where they had a small table. And yes, there had indeed been some changes made. They had cupboards now and it seemed their cooking unit worked. Interesting.

 

He sat down at the table and rested his forehead on his palm.

 

"You don't make him uncomfortable," Castiel sighed. "Well, not /just/ you," he corrected. "Gabriel is generally happy with who he is, but sometimes old ghosts haunt him. I thought we'd gotten past the point where he felt the need to drown them, but I guess that was too much to hope for." He looked up at Sam with sad eyes.

 

"I'm sorry to say, but I'm afraid you might have been part of the reason why he felt the need again. He likes you, and Gabriel isn't used to liking people."

 

~!~

  
  
  


S.A.M. stood and walked to the counter. The coffee machine he had fixed and upgraded was there. He had wanted to surprise Gabriel and Castiel both, as they often complained about the lack of proper coffee aboard. He pressed a button and watched a cup begin to fill. Castiel took his coffee with only a small dose of sugar, no dairy.  

 

He understood now why Mary would tinker with old broken bots when she was upset or frustrated. Doing something familiar allowed one time to process and understand what had been said. S.A.M. looked down at the cup of coffee and turned to offer it to Castiel. He pressed a hand to his chest. Running a quick diagnostic, there was nothing malfunctioning, but he felt pain.  

 

S.A.M. sat down across from Castiel at the table. He had rebuilt one of the legs. It had wobbled in the past. It didn't any longer. It was now properly bolted to the floor as well. "Would..." S.A.M. stopped and frowned, forcing himself to allow his vocal processors to recalibrate so he could speak without that hoarseness. Where had that come from? "Would Gabriel improve if I were to leave? I do not wish to be the cause of his… actions." He placed his hand flat on the table and shifted each finger, testing the gears and range of movement.  

 

"I have… an item I can trade for funds. Gabriel said I might be able to purchase much with it. Perhaps… after I finish building the upgrade for Kali's power supply, I should leave." S.A.M. stared at his hand, now clenched in a fist. He had not given that command. He unclenched it and laid it flat again. "What do you wish for me to do, Castiel? He is your brother, you know what is best for him."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel watched Sam carefully as he spoke, taking in all the little signs of emotion and consciousness. There was no doubt that Sam was unique, and even if he hadn't had an effect on Gabriel that Castiel actually approved of, then he would still have been loath to let Sam go.

 

"No, Sam, listen to me. I want you to stay, and I firmly believe that Gabriel /needs/ you to stay. He needs people in his life, no matter how much he claims otherwise. And for some reason he's letting you in, even though he's trying not to. I have my suspicions about some of the reason for his hesitation, but those are his to reveal in time, whenever he feels ready." He sighed and patted Sam's clenching fist.

 

"Stay. Please. And give him time."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked at Castiel for a long moment before nodding. Once again, he found himself thankful that it was Gabriel and Castiel that had found him and not other humans.

 

"I will stay. I do not wish to leave. You and Gabriel have offered me a kindness I have only seen in one other human, my creator," S.A.M. stated, looking at the cup in Castiel's hand. Steam curled slowly from the brown liquid. Warm, but it would not burn.

 

"I believe I would like to be alone for some time now, Castiel. Do you require any assistance in preparing Kali for departure?" He stood from the table and looked to Castiel, waiting for his response.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel shook his head at Sam, but stayed in the kitchen himself, slowly drinking his coffee. It was good. Really good. If only Sam could fix Gabriel's broken soul as easily as the coffee maker.

 

He went ahead and took the ship to the space dock while Gabriel slept and Sam rested. Or whatever he did. And, come hell or high water, when Gabriel woke up, they would talk. And then he'd have Sam fix the damn nav computer.

 

~!~

  
  


S.A.M. sat down on the edge of the bed and lifted his palm towards the wall. "Project." In an instant, the sight of Mary laughing as she bent over to fix a gear in his leg was displayed on the steel of the wall. The recording was not perfect. He could never capture the sound as it had sounded.  

 

He replayed the memory of that conversation next. Mary's eyes had been so sad and filled with tears. She had understood something then. Something he could not. Even now he did not understand with all the vocal aspects duplicated, why the sound was not the same.  

 

"Oh, Sam. When you care about someone, their voice is one of the best sounds in the world. And no amount of calibrating, no amount volume or pitch control can duplicate emotion in a voice." Mary touched him then, her fingertips soft on his cheeks.  

 

"I do not understand," S.A.M. said.  

 

But he was beginning to. Now that he would never hear Mary's voice again, he could tell what an imitation of the real thing it was.  

 

"I know you don't, sweetheart. But you will. Remember we talked about inflection? And tone?"  

 

S.A.M. frowned when the image on the wall began to shake. His hand was not steady. Why was his command not holding? A moment later the image began playing again, this time without the tremble.  

 

"I remember."  

 

"There are some words that can be said a hundred different ways and have a hundred different meanings. You will learn them, with time. I promise."  

 

S.A.M. watched the recording as he smiled. Mary had made a promise. She always kept her promises.  

 

"Like 'I love you'."  

 

Mary smiled and laughed, kissing Sam on the forehead. "Yes, Sam, like I love you. You've heard others say it, right?"

 

"Yes. It does not sound like when you say it."  

 

"That's because I mean it, sweetheart. Now. I need to put you into sleep mode so I can check that your power supply is functioning properly."  

 

"Of course, Mary." S.A.M. closed his eyes.  

 

"Sleep well. I love you."

 

S.A.M. looped the last two seconds of video, Mary saying 'I love you' playing on repeat, her green eyes bright and happy.  here would never be a chance to see her smile and say those words. To hear them meant, with that special inflection that could not be captured on any recording.  

 

He closed his eyes. The words echoed around the small room. Sleep mode initiated. He would wake when Kali awoke. Perhaps he would dream. Mary had always told him that dreams were where anything could come true. Maybe he would dream of Mary and Gabriel laughing together. It would be the best sound in the known universe.  

 

Maybe...

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel woke up to a hangover. Not a physical one, Sam had seen to that, but the emotional one was possibly worse. He'd promised... and he'd broken that promise. He dragged himself out of bed and cleaned himself up. Smelling like pleasure palaces and booze would not help him make up for his mistakes.

 

The cockpit was empty, but the windows were clear, and showed him the endless star-filled darkness of space. So Castiel had taken them to dock. Away from booze. Gabriel supposed he couldn't blame him for that.

 

He went to the kitchen and found... coffee. Slightly burnt, but definitely drinkable, and infinitely better than the weird sludge he was used to their coffee maker producing. He suspected Sam had been involved. Looking around the kitchen, he saw Sam's work everywhere. Clearly he was sincere about wanting to cook for them. Quite the domestic little bot they'd gotten aboard. And then he immediately felt bad again, because said domestically inclined bot had to drag his drunken ass home the night before, because he was too much of a coward to face his stupid emotions and bad memories.

 

Breathing a heavy sigh, he went to knock on Castiel's door and have a heart to heart with his brother.

"You promised me," Castiel said quietly as Gabriel entered. He didn't look up from the tablet he was reading on, and Gabriel couldn't blame him. "You promised me so faithfully. That it was the last time. That from now on it would be you and I. That we would take care of ourselves. That you would stop running away." His voice was thick with hurt, and Gabriel's heart ached.

 

"I'm sorry," he croaked. Because what else could he say. "I'm the worst piece of shit alive, I know-"

 

"No." Castiel lifted his head and fixed his intense eyes on his brother. "No. You're human. And you make mistakes. I just want you to tell me why."

 

Gabriel frowned. "Like you don't know? You've always known me better than I know myself."

 

"Exactly. Which is why I need to hear you say that you are aware what has driven you to this. Because if I need to explain it to you, then you’re not ready to make this promise anew," Castiel said bluntly.

 

It was a long, uncomfortable silence, while Gabriel thought things through. "Sam," he said finally. Castiel nodded. "And why?"

 

"Because..." he had to stop for a moment and phrase it in his head. "Because he's more... than I thought. I thought having him here wouldn't matter. Because he's a droid. But he's... more. I like him. And the last time I liked someone other than family..."

 

"I know," Castiel said. "And now that you do as well, I trust you will take measures to avoid running back into the bottle. Or the arms of whores."

 

"Cas," Gabriel groaned. "You can't take whores away from me too. I never promised to stop that, because I don't think I ever can. If I stay away from booze I need another outlet. My feelings need to go somewhere, brother."

 

"Then put them somewhere you don't have to pay for it!" Castiel yelled. Castiel never yelled, and Gabriel felt sick with it.

 

"You know me, Cas. I can't."

 

"Don't I love you enough?" Castiel said, voice quaking.

 

"Castiel!" Gabriel cried and burst forward to take hold of his shoulders, shaking him slightly. "Little brother, this is NOT on you! It has nothing to do with love. It has something to do with intimacy and trust and hurt, and it is all. On. Me. If it makes you feel better, I promise I'll try and open up to you more. But you need to let me get my rocks off sometimes. I don't work like you do, lil bean."

 

Castiel sighed and let his head fall forward to bump against Gabriel's chest, taking the comfort of family as it was offered. "I know. I don't like it, but I know."

 

"I promise I'll... /try/... not to fall off the wagon again," Gabriel said. Because given recent events, he should probably not try anything grander than that.

 

"That's all I ask."

 

There were hugs after that, as well as possibly some proclamations of fraternal affections, but it was a little hard to tell, because Gabriel hugged his little brother to him so tightly their voices were thin.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

As S.A.M. came back online, six hours later, for the first time, he wished that he had not come back. That there had been a malfunction with his start up sequence. That he had been left in a place where things did not… hurt. It was a strange thought to imagine. He lowered his hand and cut off the loop of Mary's voice. Hurting. Pain. A droid should not feel these things. But he did.  

 

He needed to perform the repairs on the flight controls. And finish the building of Kali's new power supply. It would be ready to install soon. S.A.M. was silent as he let himself out of his room and headed down into the bowels of Kali. Flight controls were located on the lower deck beneath the cockpit. S.A.M. made his way downstairs, collecting the tools he would need as he went.  

 

It would have been easier to ask Kali where the problem was located, but he would not betray Gabriel's trust and speak to her without permission. He would simply have to find the faulty wire by examining them all. He unscrewed the panel he needed access to and laid it to the side, before beginning to work.  

 

Some hours later, he found a recording of Mary giving a speech on the advantages of the new power source she had designed. S.A.M. played it, on loop, all nineteen minutes and seventeen seconds, the sound of her voice, passionate and vibrant offering comfort among the quiet of Kali.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel found Sam taking Kali apart into literally hundreds of tiny bits, and groaned to himself.

 

"Sam," he called. "I know what you're trying to do here, and I'm grateful, really, but... please put my ship back together again. We need to talk. Come up to the cockpit when you're done patching her up."

 

He turned on his heel and left, hoping that the time he spent waiting for Sam to arrive would be enough time to get himself together. He'd need it. He was about to take a leap.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. frowned and looked at the mass of wiring in front of him. He had gone much further than intended and had not been able to find the fault in the wiring. He began to reconnect each piece and place it back into proper order. He would not leave Kali in a situation where she would not be able to keep Gabriel and Castiel safe.  

 

As he screwed the panel back to the wall, he thought about what Gabriel wanted to say. Would Gabriel ask him to leave since this behavior change was his fault?  

 

He had told Castiel he would not leave, but if Gabriel asked him to… he had made a promise. If Gabriel asked him to leave, he would. S.A.M. stood and went to place the tools back into their proper positions then made his way upstairs to the cockpit.  

 

He knocked on the door and opened it slowly, staring out at the stars. They were beautiful like this. "I have put Kali back together. I was attempting to find the faulty wire that was causing the delay in the flight controls," S.A.M. explained. He stood by the doorway and stared at his boots, waiting for Gabriel to speak.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Yeah. But it would probably be easier if you just... asked Kali." He stepped aside and gestured to the console.

 

"Do whatever you have to do. I'm going to trust you with her." And himself. But he didn't add that. There would be enough time for heart to hearts later.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. studied Gabriel for a long moment before sitting down in front of the console. He reached up and grabbed at the new connection port Castiel had installed for him, hiding just beneath his hairline.  

 

He plugged it in and closed his eyes. Immediately, Kali's code was there, available, all of the small faults that made her her laid out in front of him. S.A.M. could feel her protectiveness of Gabriel and Castiel, how they were hers, and how S.A.M. was now hers as well. He smiled.  

 

"She is beautiful," S.A.M. said, opening his eyes to look at Gabriel behind him. Written in her memory banks were the secrets of Gabriel, secrets that he still wanted to keep. S.A.M. closed those files down and focused on what he knew he could fix. The nav system. The flight controls. The power source.  

 

"I can have the nav system and the flight controls repaired within hours, Gabriel." S.A.M. disconnected himself from Kali and turned back towards the captain as he stood. "Thank you for trusting me with her. I did not..." S.A.M. paused while he tried to think of the words he should use. Mary would have known. She always knew.  

 

"I am not unfamiliar with the concept of a secret, Gabriel. Who you were then, what you did then matters not to me. Who you are now, your actions now, they are all I will know you by." S.A.M. reached out and touched Gabriel on the shoulder, gently. "I believe that Mary would have been happy to know I was found by you and Castiel. That you were keeping me safe." He pulled his hand back and looked down at Gabriel. "She would have liked you. You would have made her laugh. I wish… I wish I could have heard you two laugh together."  

 

S.A.M. moved to walk past Gabriel to head back downstairs.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"You're really something, you know? I only know one other person with this kind of faith, and he's down the hall." Gabriel reached out a hand and stopped Sam with a gentle touch to his arm. Damn, he was tall. Also broad as a barn, but he stopped as if Gabriel's touch was a force to be reckoned with.

 

"Even if you looked through everything... even if you know that what I was and what I am now are light-years apart... you have to know I'm still not... great. I'm not a good person, Sam. I lie and cheat and break the law on a daily basis. I whore and drink and hurt the one person in this life who's ever given two shits about me." He sighed and ran a weary hand through his hair.

 

"I get that you need this. That you function by having someone to protect or serve. But I can't help but wish you'll someday find someone more worthy of your devotion."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"And what I would wish for you to understand is that you being a good person has nothing to do with the list you just made and everything to do with what you know." S.A.M. reached up to touch Gabriel's hand and squeezed it, gently. "Mary lied. She told lies every day. She broke the law every hour she continued to allow me to exist."  

 

S.A.M. pulled his hand away and let it fall back to his side. "I was a sex droid, Gabriel. Though Mary wiped my memories, do you think drinking and whoring are concepts I am not familiar with? While they are not the healthiest and safest of habits, they do not make you a good or bad person."  

 

He reached out to slowly push a piece of hair out of Gabriel's face, tucking it behind his ear. "I do not have a purpose or a function, save to protect you, Castiel and Kali. There is a noun, a word, for that feeling, that devotion without need for recompense. Family. That is the code you overwrote, Gabriel." S.A.M. smiled. "I belong here. I want to be here. Wish me nowhere else. Please."  

 

S.A.M. picked up his toolbelt from the corridor and strapped it around his waist. "We should be ready to depart within a few hours. I will let you know." He turned back to Gabriel. "Thank you, for trusting me, Gabriel."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


As Sam left, Gabriel stayed in the cockpit, sinking down slowly into the well-worn pilot's seat he'd spent so many hours in. If what Sam said was true, then he really was unique. Creating droids equal to humans in every way had been the ambition of many over the years, but every single one had been a failure, either because they went mad or because they were destroyed when it became clear that free will meant no control, and there was no middle ground. Either let them go entirely or keep them leashed until they fell apart. And why have a droid who hated you when you could have one programmed to love you?

Sam was obviously programmed to care, but at least to some extent he was allowed to choose his masters. Upon realizing Mary was dead he almost immediately bound himself to someone new, so Gabriel had no doubt that he needed the connection. However, he'd also been willing to leave if that's what Gabriel told him to. Which shouldn't be possible. Droids exhibiting this level of devotion were usually mindless and shut down either by force or choice if made to leave those in their care.

 

And Sam cared. Deeply. Mary Winchester must have been a genius, because whatever was going on inside Sam it looked like emotions, and if it walked like a duck...

 

In any case, whatever Sam was or felt, Gabriel had made the conscious choice to trust him. Now all he could do was wait and see if his trust was misplaced. He hoped it wasn't.

 

After a while he realized he was fiddling with the lock of hair Sam had touched. He huffed at what a sap he was being, and forced himself to get back to work. Always something to be done on a spaceship.

 

In the engine below, Castiel was busy with his upgrade. All he needed was the power source Sam said he was making. Despite their recent spat, Castiel was excited for his project, and it warmed him to think of Gabriel's face when he was presented with it.

  
  


~!~

 

S.A.M. made his way down to the flight controls and was able to fix both it and the navigation computer within the hour. He gave a pleased smile. Kali would run better than ever, and now he would be comfortable installing the new power supply into the engine. He made his way down to that area of the ship and noticed Castiel already there, finishing his own upgrades.  

 

"Hello Castiel." S.A.M. knelt down next to him and placed the welding kit he had been using to the side. "I have finished the repairs on both the navigation computer and the flight controls. Would you like me to install the new power supply?" He reached into his tool bag and held up a long, cylindrical rod, almost looking as if it were made of silver, the length of his forearm. "This will replace the sub atomic power source. I have already created the housing."  

 

S.A.M. pointed to a series of cables and smaller rods lying beside them. "It will take me a matter of minutes to start. I would advise that the first time we utilize it that I be plugged into Kali, should the ship attempt to draw too much power at one time." He gave Castiel a smile. "I would also advise an area of free space to allow Gabriel to… 'stretch her legs' as it were."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel grinned and moved over so Sam could add the power source. "You know my brother too well already. I would also appreciate it if you looked over my work. I'm not an engineer, Gabriel usually handles most of the engine work, so there is a chance I've made mistakes, but I assume you would know..." he trailed off as he replayed what Sam said in his head.

 

"You talked to Kali, didn't you? Gabriel let you see?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded and reached in, beginning to unhook the wires that attached the old core. "Yes. I left what is his, and what is yours, private, but Kali, I have spoken with extensively. She is happy that Gabriel has hired someone to take care of her properly. Not that you have not done an excellent job so far." He shifted and began attaching the new pieces, one by one, securing them in place. After he was finished, he held the rod out. "Now for the final piece."  

 

S.A.M. reached into his boot and pulled out one of the tiny glowing cylinders. It would have to be a pure energy transfer. Just enough. "Do not touch me until I tell you it is safe, Castiel. No matter what happens," he cautioned and slowly touched the two metals together. Sparks flew and S.A.M. struggled to hold onto the larger rod as it began to vibrate and glow.  

 

Minutes later, the glow subsided and the transfer was finished. S.A.M. returned the tiny rod to his pocket and leaned into the engine block, attaching the new cylinder. In a moment, he could see all of the systems flicker and then reboot, the lights glowing a fraction brighter than they had previously. "Perfect. It is now safe." He closed the housing door and welded it shut. "With this as a power source and your modifications, there should be a significant increase in speed and power."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Wonderful!" Castiel beamed at Sam as they secured everything.

 

When they both rose to leave, Castiel asked: "So Kali is... aware?" His voice was calm, but it was slightly forced, because he'd had the distinct impression for several years now that their ship favored them in certain ways. Things that should definitely not work somehow managed to do so anyway, if even for a short time, and they had avoided some spectacular accidents over time by incredible coincidence. He’d up until then assumed it was some kind of higher power. The thought that Kali was borderline sentient did not seem out of the realm of possibility, but it /would/ be a fairly daunting thing to know.

 

Gabriel would most likely not be surprised.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. shook his head. "Not aware in the way that you mean. Machines, true machines are different." He tilted his head and attempted to explain. "She knows you. She will protect you, because you maintain and keep her running and care for her. If she feels anything, it is because you have put that feeling into her in the first place."  

 

He stowed the welding kit and smiled at Castiel. "She is only a machine. An extraordinary one, but only a machine." S.A.M. touched the wall as they walked towards the cockpit. "A machine with a sense of self-preservation, much like you and your brother." He dropped his hand. "She was pleased with my presence and what I have been doing to maintain her."  

 

He lowered his voice. "Do you wish to inform Gabriel of his present now, or later?"  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel huffed out a relieved breath. A truly sentient ship would be a very complicated thing, so he was glad that it wasn't really the case. He still patted the hull distractedly as quiet thanks for all the small ways the ship had helped keep them alive over the years.

 

"We may as well do it now. He'll know the second he touches the controls anyway." He led the way to Gabriel's bunk and the man himself exited just as they arrived.

 

"Hey bro, I heard her power up. Did you do something different? She sounds different." Gabriel chattered away easily, obviously still trying to soothe the ruffled feathers following his broken promises as they all headed for the cockpit. "She ready for a test run?"

 

Castiel nodded and followed quietly. "With Sam's help I managed the engine and hull repairs with no trouble. Even though you usually handle these things, I think it turned out quite well," he said casually, casting Sam a wink behind Gabriel's back.

Gabriel hopped into the pilot's seat and called up the nav display which now hovered gleaming and steady over the base, reacting smoothly to Gabriel's every command. "This is great, Sam, thank you," he said sincerely and turned to the flight controls.

 

At the first sound of engine startup, Gabriel sent Castiel a strange look. "What did you change?"

 

Castiel smirked at him. "Why don't you take her out for a spin and see for yourself?"

 

Gabriel grinned back, wickedly and excited, and departed the space dock at fairly reckless speed.

 

It was like Christmas and his birthday rolled into one. He whooped and cheered as he floored it through a less-trafficked system, pushing her upgraded engine to the limit to see what she could do. Castiel laughed along with him, infected by the enthusiasm. When they finally slowed to normal travel speeds, Gabriel pulled Castiel into an awkward hug across the seats and consoles. "I don't deserve you, bro," he said wetly, but Castiel just thumped him on the back.

 

"You do. But I couldn't have done it without Sam." He nodded significantly at the droid, and Gabriel sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, all right, then, bring it in!" He beckoned Sam's tall figure down for a hug and pulled him tight. He felt perfectly warm and human, and it felt, if possible, even more emotional for a moment. He mumbled a heartfelt "thank you" against Sam's shoulder and then he broke the moment before someone (Gabriel, goddammit) would start crying.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled and carefully pushed some of Gabriel's hair off his face. "You do not need to thank me Gabriel," he whispered. He pulled his hand away again before it began repeating the touch. "I've replaced the sub-atomic power source with one of my own design. Even if you were to run her at top speed, the source would not deplete for seventy years or more."  

 

He turned towards at Castiel and then looked back to Gabriel. "It was entirely your brother’s idea. To upgrade the engine. I merely assisted with the power source," S.A.M. explained and pulled away to stand at the back of the cockpit area. "The navigation computer and flight controls have also been adjusted for optimum usage. She is special, as you said."  

 

S.A.M. looked up and stared out at the stars. Nothing would hold Gabriel back now. "Shall I leave you two alone to set our next destination?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Nah, you're crew. We should totally get you a seat up here with us," Gabriel said happily, still riding high on the amazing gift he'd been given. He couldn't stop running his hands over the flight console, marveling at how his old gal so happily followed his every command. If he could marry his ship, he definitely would.

 

He turned to Castiel with a wicked grin. "I think it's time we took that job on Eyies Minor. Seeing as we can now definitely outrun the border patrols."

 

Castiel shook his head at him. "I should have known you'd want that."

 

"A hundred thousand credits, Cas! I only turned it down because I knew we were too slow! Just one run and we can redo the whole shipping compartment section AND add new a new guest bunk for passengers!"

 

"It's dangerous," Castiel warned, but he already knew they were going to do it.

 

"I live for this, Cas," Gabriel stressed, and Cas could only nod and gesture to the controls. "As you wish, then."

 

Gabriel fist-pumped and then cast a glance over his shoulder at Sam. "Fair warning, bucko, we're about to do something illegal!"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded his head. "I had gathered as much from the price and your need to outrun border patrols."

 

He looked around the cockpit, imagining it with a seat for him as well before he turned back to Gabriel. "I know you refused the offer of payment I original wished to give you. However, that is now what powers Kali. It seemed fitting since you refused it directly."

 

S.A.M. looked at them both. "How long will our trip to Eyies Minor take?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel gaped slightly at the thought of Kali now being powered by the same substance the whole fucking quadrant would give limbs and first-borns for. Stable and seemingly endless with the right containment, but just as endlessly deadly if you knew how. It gave him one hell of a thrill too, though, and he couldn't find it in himself to regret Sam's gift.

 

Sam's question jarred him out of his musings, and he grinned almost hysterically. "You know, I was just about to say two weeks, but now? Nine days, baby!"

 

He cranked up the engine and laughed like a loon as they sped towards danger and excitement.

 

The thing about doing illegal things was that it was always best to do them far, /far/, away from your normal haunts. So Eyies Minor is was a full two systems away from Gabriel's regular clients. Nine days in space was usually a boring affair, but, amazingly, it turned out there was a bonus to having a third crew member. Someone always had to be flying, but now they were two left over, so there was always someone to eat with or play games with or, as it turned out to be a lot of the time, just hang out with.

 

So, inevitably, Sam grew closer to them both. Castiel loaned him books and discussed a multitude of narrow subjects that normally went WAY over Gabriel's head, and Gabriel taught him poker (which he picked up terrifyingly fast for a droid, he bluffed like magic) and tinkered around with him in Kali's innards.

  
As for Sam, he seemed to have made it his mission to make them a kitchen. Gabriel had to confess he was excited at the prospect.


	5. Chapter 5

S.A.M finished the rewiring he had been working on and leaned back, closing his eyes. The sound of Gabriel working not far from him was a comfort. He felt content. Perhaps happy was a better word.

 

They would arrive at Eyies Minor tomorrow. And ferry whatever their cargo was to wherever they needed to. "Gabriel?" The sound of the wrench in the background stopped. "Are you happy? Like this?"

 

S.A.M. turned to look at him. "I don't understand happy. Contentment, yes. Are they the same?" he asked.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Not the way I see it," Gabriel answered, his voice slightly hollow from the echo inside the panel he was working on. "See, content is when your needs are met. Like... you're not hungry or thirsty or tired. You're okay with everything, at least enough to not be sad. But when you're happy... you can be starving to death or in a lot of pain, but you can still be happy. Happy to be alive or happy for others." He shrugged. "I dunno, smarter people might define it differently, but this is what it feels like for me."

 

He paused and thought things through before steeling himself for revealing something fairly personal.

 

"It's like... I used to work for my family, you know? When I was a lot younger. I did a lot of shit things. I wasn't happy with them, but I was told my whole life that it was just me. That if I did it, then no one else had to. But then I found out they were bringing Cas into it too, and I just... I couldn't let him... become me."

 

He took a deep shuddering breath, remembering. "So I... took him and ran. Far away. We had nothing. We were homeless and beggars for almost a year. We starved and froze. But I was happy. Because Cas was out, and he was never going back in."

 

He scooted out so he could meet Sam's eyes. "See the difference? Before I was rich, well fed, slept in a warm bed every night, and all I had to do was do a job no one else should. I was content. But knowing that my brother was free and that I was doing everything in my power to keep it that way? That made me happy."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stood and walked closer to Gabriel, kneeling in front of him. "I do not understand how you think yourself a bad person when you have done things such as this in the past." He reached out and touched Gabriel's heart, feeling it beat rapidly under his fingertips.

 

"Perhaps your actions have been questionable. Perhaps you have done things you are not proud of. But you, Gabriel? I have no doubt that you are the best of men." S.A.M. smiled. "You gave up all that you knew and what was comfortable and did it for another. Even a machine knows there is honor in such an action." He stood and stretched. "It has been several hours. I will make food for you both and then relieve Castiel."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel had no idea what to even say to that, so he stayed there, sitting by the open panel, and wondering how a droid could see everything so fucking optimistically when Gabriel could barely imagine waking up tomorrow to anything other than just "getting by." He wasn't... happy, no. But he /was/ content. And right now, that felt like all he could hope for.

 

Though, judging by the wonderful smells emerging from their completely reworked kitchen, his stomach was about to be very happy. Sam was a damn good cook and seemed more intent on feeding them all than the most overbearing mother hen. Gabriel couldn't say he was unhappy with that. He hadn't eaten this well in years. He decided to stop by the spice markets for some more rare cooking supplies when they got to Eyies Minor. Let Sam experiment a little. And, dammit, Gabriel was well aware he was showering Sam with small tokens of affection, but it was so hard not to.

 

He decided not to get too worked up about it. He gave Cas things all the time too, and that was fine. Not because he loved him or anything. Ugh. Introspection made him hungry and denial was bad for digestion. So he fitted the panel back in place and followed his nose.

 

~!~

  
  


S.A.M. set out the second plate and smiled. Two dinners, made specifically for each Gabriel and Castiel. Gabriel tended to like his food sweet, covered in sugar (though he used a honey substitute and would never tell Gabriel otherwise), where Castiel seemed to prefer the freshest and spiciest things they had available.  

 

He finished and made his way up to the cockpit. Gabriel would likely follow his nose and be at the kitchen within minutes. "Castiel?  Dinner is ready downstairs and I can relieve you while both you and Gabriel eat and get some rest."  

 

S.A.M. sat down in the other chair and pulled out his connection port. Rather than utilize the navigation controls that Gabriel and Castiel used, S.A.M. preferred to allow Kali to fly herself. He simply acted as guidance when it was required. "We should be on approach to Eyies Minor in eight hours. Plenty of time for both you and Gabriel to eat and rest. Please let me know if there is anything else that you require."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel thanked Sam sincerely and went to eat with his brother. Gabriel was already stuffing his face. Or, more likely, eating his feelings. Castiel had to roll his eyes.

 

"So. You talked with Sam?"

 

Gabriel stopped eating. "About what?"

 

Castiel huffed. "Something personal, no doubt. You only eat this voraciously when you've had an emotional moment."

 

The glare Gabriel sent him only made him snort again. "I know, you brother," Castiel said calmly, and Gabriel sighed and put down his fork.

 

"Fine. I shared some of my... /our/ history. He still seems to think I shoot rainbows out of my ass. Do you think he's programmed to adore his masters like that?"

 

"Well," Castiel shrugged. "It's possible. But... he sure doesn't seem this adamant to tell /me/ about /my/ virtues."

 

Gabriel glared. "You're a horrible brother and I hate you."

 

"The feeling is mutual," Castiel assured him, and dug into his food with a grin. The little shit.

 

They both slept for a few hours, but when they were a couple of hours out Gabriel took over the controls. If he were to do a runner later, he needed to get a look at the security setup personally. They had to go through three different checkpoints, and as expected were only allowed on the trader's quadrant of the planet. Eyies Minor was a very insular and wealthy world. Getting illicit goods in and out was risky, and while Gabriel's old clunker wasn't exactly viewed as a valuable guest, it was therefore also not viewed as much of a threat, so they were waved through the checkpoints with little fuss.

 

On a world like this, though, droids very similar to Sam were everywhere, so when they landed Gabriel told Sam that if he wanted to go look around the markets or something, he could move around perfectly fine on his own.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled at the offer from Gabriel. "I will perhaps visit a market. We are in need of additional scrap metal and there are a handful of parts inside me that require replacing. Nothing urgent, but I should be able to find them easily here."

 

He tied the small pouch that contained the credits Gabriel had given him and placed it into his pocket. "What time should I return by, Gabriel?" S.A.M. asked, looking up at the man. Perhaps he would also be able to find a book for Castiel and something for Gabriel.

 

Mary had always liked small presents. Though he lacked the ability to truly create the way a human could, there were things he found beautiful. Like Gabriel. S.A.M. paused and frowned. That was an unexpected thought. What process had led to that?

 

A moment later, he had the sound of Gabriel's laughter playing over Mary's. Beautiful, yes. That was beautiful.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Be back here in four hours. Me and Cas are gonna go look around, too. Might as well enjoy it while we're here. Security is great around here, so we can all leave the ship, no worries."

 

Of course, that very same security would make it a very interesting trip out of there once their precious cargo was on board. Gabriel would allow himself an hour or so in the spice markets before heading out to see their client.

 

It was a beautiful place, well kept and bright, and Gabriel enjoyed his casual shopping, excitement humming under his skin from what he was about to do. It had been a while since he'd allowed himself any risky jobs, Kali's condition having been slightly too poor to ensure success. But she was faster and better than ever, and Gabriel felt like skipping along like a little boy planning a naughty prank.

 

Their client was a respectable trader with a less respectable side business. Like most higher class worlds, Eyies Minor had fairly tight restrictions on import and export, and certain things would almost cost more than the goods themselves in fees. Making use of independent contractors like Gabriel cut the costs, and if they were also willing to take some cargo along with no papers, then it would definitely be worth it.

 

By the time were all back on the ship, Gabriel had everything loaded and they were ready to face the checkpoints and sensor sweeps. And in the kitchen an inconspicuous package of spices was waiting for Sam to find it. Shit, Gabriel was a sap. A sap with a major soft spot for a droid. How was this his life.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. settled in, pleased with his purchases. He had left a book that he and Castiel would potentially enjoy discussing in his room and a small trinket that reminded him of Gabriel's eyes was in his own room, hanging in the window. Gabriel's gift would take some assembling, but he would enjoy working with it in his own time.  

 

As they pulled away from port, he wondered what it was that they were carrying. Unlikely that Gabriel intended to travel with something that could harm Castiel or Kali, so it was something that should not easily leave Eyies Minor. S.A.M. stood and made his way to the cockpit as they approached the first checkpoint.  

 

Unlike their initial trip in, two smaller ships were already on the approach, lights flaring. S.A.M. frowned. They had done nothing suspicious, cargo notwithstanding. What had caused them to approach? "Gabriel? Are those ships approaching with the intent to search us?" S.A.M. looked up. There was a third ship now approaching from behind. Even with Kali’s new core, it would be extraordinarily difficult to escape.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Just as Sam asked, an alert came in, informing them that they were about to be boarded. Not even the courtesy of a call first.

 

"Rude," Gabriel huffed, and did his best to seem unconcerned. He couldn't be sure what tipped off the border controls, but sometimes they just boarded random ships, so it could be a coincidence. He powered Kali down, knowing it would be the first thing he was told to do.

And sure enough, the moment the light faded from the three border control officers that beamed in - right behind Gabriel in the already cramped cockpit, which, also rude - immediately barked at him to power down.

 

"I know the drill," he said mildly. "How may I help you gentlemen?"

 

"Your ship, designated Kali-377xp69, registered as leaving port carrying 300 units of mineral p-221 Green. However, our scans show your cargo weight as at least twice that."

 

"Ah," Gabriel said, dramatically displaying his relief. "I see now this is a simple misunderstanding. You see, Kali is an old gal, and as such she's got a little... shall we say, 'junk in her trunk'."

 

The nearest officer narrowed his eyes at Gabriel, clearly not amused.

 

"What I mean to say of course, is that this vessel is almost thirty years past her production date. Certain parts crucial to her continued functionality tend to be... voluminous. Some of her essential components sometimes show up as cargo, because, well... we've had to convert cargo space to accommodate them."

 

Which was true. Kali had originally been designed with four cargo bays. One now held most of the sub-light engine bay, another had been converted into a sealed compartment for more volatile cargo, and the remaining two currently held the minerals. Of course, Gabriel didn't intend to inform them that there was another cargo space, running the length of the ship and currently stuffed to bursting with another mineral, not showing up on any manifest.

 

The officer clearly wasn't buying what Gabriel was selling, and took out a handheld scanner and started scanning random walls. Gabriel only barely avoided snorting. As if he wasn't prepared for that. His face fell slightly, though, when the officer's scanner passed over Sam and he paused.

 

"You're a droid," he said, his voice gleeful like it was Christmas, and Gabriel couldn't blame him. Any droid serving man was bound by the three laws of robotics, and no matter how free Sam seemed, he did definitely serve Gabriel. This could be very bad.

 

"I am going to ask you a question, and I command you to answer it truthfully, or we shall have to be forced to take your masters in for interrogation. And I cannot promise that they will remain unharmed if that happens."

 

Shit. The officer appealed to the first law. Any robot's first and most important code was to protect their masters at all costs. Sam knew the punishment for smuggling was a fine and, depending on the cargo, possibly imprisonment. No physical harm in sight. By threatening bodily harm, Sam would have no choice but to come clean to avoid Gabriel and Castiel being hurt. They were fucked.

 

"Is your master transporting anything illegal, or something not mentioned on your manifest?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stared at the man in front of him. He blinked slowly, imitating the other droids he had seen on the planet. "Query running. Current cargo is 300 units of p-221 green. No other materials present aside from scrap metal required for nominal repairs. Shall I display manifest?"

 

The officer grunted. "Display all manifests from the past six months." He ordered.

 

S.A.M. raised his hand and projected the manifest lists onto the wall. "Cargo Bay 4 was turned into the sub light engine bay shortly after the technology proved stable. An upgraded model was installed seven months ago. I, S.A.M. Model X790 was brought on board three weeks ago to assist with my reprogrammed function, basic repair and maintenance."

 

"Have they EVER transported anything illegal?"

 

"Query running." S.A.M. said. "Yes. Sladosky Fire Whiskey, two years ago. Transport of this material has now been deemed legal within all federated territories as of star date-."

 

"Well, well, well. Looks like you boys have been up to no good. Arrest-"

 

"Per federation law, there is nothing they can be charged with. The action is now legal. To arrest them would leave yourself open to a counter-suit they are likely to win," S.A.M. stated.

 

He scowled. "Fine. I suppose that you pass, boys! Congratulations!"

 

"Shall I have this information available for the next two checkpoints sir?" S.A.M. asked, striding over to the navigation controls. In a moment, he was connected and speaking with Kali.

 

"No, just get out of here." The officer ordered. "I will inform the last two checkpoints you passed."

 

S.A.M. nodded and turned back to the controls, waiting until they beamed off of the shift. "I would recommend allowing me control until we leave their space." In ten minutes, they were free of all checkpoints and past the distance of their scanners.

 

S.A.M. turned to Gabriel and smiled. "That was easier than I anticipated."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel stared. And stared. And then stared some more.

 

"Remarkable," Castiel breathed, and also stared. It's possible they were being rude, both simply staring at Sam as he guided them through the checkpoints, but what Sam just did was /unheard of/.

 

"How the hell did you do that?!" Gabriel blurted eventually. "You're not supposed to be able to do that!"

 

Castiel poked him hard with an elbow and hissed "Gabriel!" before turning to Sam. "What he means is... how did you circumvent the three laws?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. unplugged from Kali and put her on autopilot for a moment. He stood and turned to face both of them and tilted his head. "It seemed pertinent to lie at the time and ensure your continued safety."

 

He took in the surprised looks from Gabriel and Castiel. "Mary had to program the ability to break the laws in me. It was a must. Otherwise I would not have been able to keep my functions a secret from her superiors."

 

S.A.M. smiled at the both of them. "I made a choice. I could either tell the truth and allow you to be arrested, or I could lie and protect you both. I chose the latter. Simple." It was as simple as that. Yet Gabriel was still staring at him.

 

"Should… I not have done that?" S.A.M. asked, looking at them both.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Jeez, kiddo, no you definitely did the right thing, at least from our point of view, but... wow." He stared some more and ignore yet more poking from Castiel.

 

"I think what my brother (poke!) is trying to say is that... you're truly unique, Sam. It may take some getting used to."

 

"Speak for yourself, bro!" Gabriel crowed. "This is the most amazing thing, ever!" He pointed a gleeful finger at Sam. "We are SO getting you a chair up here, ASAP! And whaddya know, when we hit port we can totally afford it!"

 

Gabriel plonked down into the pilot's seat and floored the engines with a cackle, just because they were home free and because he /could/.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled as Gabriel pushed Kali harder towards the location of their delivery. He had never seen Gabriel as happy as he was with the completion of that job and the upgrades he was now able to give Kali.

 

It was strange, this feeling of family. Mary had been his creator and programmer, and though she had taught him so much Gabriel and Castiel treated him the same way they treated each other. Kali considered him a member of their family (and S.A.M. was secretly Kali's favorite, because he could talk to her).

 

When the upgrades were finished two weeks later and Gabriel expressed an interest in going out that evening, S.A.M. approached Castiel after he had left.

 

"Castiel? Would you like me to retrieve Gabriel if he does not return by a certain time?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel sighed and put down his tablet. He wasn't happy with Gabriel's habits, but as long as he kept his promise of not drinking his woes away, then Castiel was willing to overlook them.

 

"No. No, he's allowed his fun. And he swore to me he would not get drunk again. And I trust him," Castiel said firmly, more to himself than to Sam. Sam, who was looking at him intently. "All right, fine, maybe I don't entirely trust him, but I can't keep my brother on a leash."

As much as he wanted to make sure Gabriel was holding up his end, one case of seeing his brother practically mid-coitus was more than enough for Castiel, and he would much prefer never seeing it again.

 

Angry with himself for not trusting his own brother, Castiel huffed and went to his bunk. "You do what you wish. I am going to stay here and... try not to worry."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Mary used to say that those we love have the power to hurt us the most… but we will always allow them to hurt us because we love them," S.A.M. said, studying Castiel's back. "I don't understand, but I believe that is what you feel for Gabriel." He looked down at his boots.

 

"Gabriel hurts. I can see that. I refuse to break his privacy to understand why." S.A.M. looked up at Castiel and smiled. "But a former sex droid in a whorehouse? No one would look twice, and I can ensure Gabriel is safe and well."

 

With that decision made, S.A.M. made his way into the market. Gabriel's habits were simple. It did not take long to find the house he had chosen to take his pleasure in.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Castiel watched Sam go, grateful for Sam's concern, yet still annoyed for his own. Living and working with your brother was never simple. But perhaps with Sam along, it would become easier in time.

 

* * *

 

Azazel's Lair wasn't the fanciest whorehouse in town, but it wasn't seedy either. A nice mid-range place that Gabriel knew well and had visited more than once. It offered both human and droid /companionship/ and while Gabriel generally preferred the humans, he wasn't picky and had tried a bit of everything. This night he was nursing a drink ("/one/ drink, sheesh," he admonished the voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Castiel.) and perused the selection. Several very lovely people came by and proved very enticing, but Gabriel had so far refused them all. He wasn't sure what he was in the mood for, so for the time being he just looked around.  

Then Sam came in. And goddammit, he told his dick sternly, that is NOT what we are in the mood for! His inappropriate feelings fizzled instantly, however, when he spotted old Azazel himself heading towards Sam. Yikes. This might become a problem, seeing as Sam actually still looked mostly like a sex droid. Azazel might see him as a competitor's stooge or maybe even try to buy him. Either way, bad news, so Gabriel gulped down his drink and hurried to intervene.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. glanced around the room and was able to catch sight of Gabriel immediately. He started to smile when he saw the other man was still alone. Why did that sight please him? Strange.

 

Castiel would not have approved of the drink in Gabriel's hand, but Gabriel did not appear intoxicated. Drinking in moderation was a vast improvement to the last time he had seen Gabriel drinking.

 

He watched Gabriel frown and down the rest of his drink. Perhaps Gabriel was displeased that he had been followed. A throat cleared in front of him and S.A.M. turned, studying the man. "Yes?"

 

Azazel was a tall man, but the way he always seemed to hunch made him seem shorter than he was. Still, he didn't have to look up very far to meet Sam's eyes, and he grinned in a hungry sort of way as recognition sparked.

 

"As I suspected. An X700 series! Oldie but goldie, hm? Pray tell, where's your master?"

 

"Oh." S.A.M. looked up at the couch where Gabriel had been sitting and saw that it was now empty. Strange. Where had Gabriel gone? How should he answer? What was the right answer here?

 

"He is..." S.A.M. paused and then nodded to him when he finally caught sight of Gabriel approaching. "There. I came to look for him." Moving closer to Gabriel and away from Azazael would be wise. He took a step and frowned when a hand appeared on his arm, preventing further progress.

 

"You are in /excellent/ condition. Why, I remember selling models exactly like you in my youth! It must have been about twenty-five years ago now!"

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel very nearly skidded to a halt next to Sam as he made it through the many other clients and companions in the room, all clustering together as if to make it as hard as possible for Gabriel to reach his goal.

 

"Sam! Hi! So, hey, nice of you to drop in and all, but you can scurry back to my brother and tell him I'm fine, k?" He was practically shooing Sam away when Azazel turned to him instead.

 

"That is a fine old specimen you have here. You know I cater to a lot of specific requests, and certain clients enjoy a more... classic droid experience. Would you be interested in selling him?"

The unease and maybe even slight panic in Sam's eyes made Gabriel stumble over his words. "Well, I don't-" he cut himself off before he could say what he almost did. That he didn't own Sam. Because he didn't. But that would raise some serious red flags. "I don't think I will, thanks. I've made some modifications to him, so he's a very... shall we say, unique experience." Gabriel had recovered quickly, but obviously not quickly enough, because it was clear from the way Azazel narrowed his eyes that he was suspecting something.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked from Gabriel to the human that had also joined him. He was still suspicious. Though whether it was due to Gabriel's behavior or his own, S.A.M. was not sure.

 

"I apologize for interrupting. I came to inform you that I have finished my shopping for parts and I will be returning to the ship." The other human was not convinced, S.A.M. could tell.

 

"I am sorry for the interruption." He gave them both nods and made his way back towards the ship. S.A.M. immediately began making preparations if that human began asking more questions.

 

Halfway back to Kali, a hand grabbed his wrist and was able to depress the emergency override before S.A.M. could protest.

 

As soon as Sam powered up again, Azazel smiled at him magnanimously. "Good morning. I would have kept you asleep for this, but, alas, you older models need to be active when accessing your drives." He checked the bindings holding Sam steady, and when he was satisfied that they would still hold any droid in place, he plugged Sam into a console and started tapping out commands.

 

"Don't worry, this'll be over before you know it."

 

S.A.M. stared at the human. Fear. Not for someone else, as last time, with Mary. Fear for himself. Was this human going to erase him?

 

"Accessing my drives? Why do you want to do that? Gabriel informed you that he does not wish to sell me." S.A.M. could feel how strong the bindings were. If the human found his power supply and realized what he was? Or what his code looked like? Gabriel and Castiel would be in danger. The whole planet could be in danger if his power supply was compromised.

 

He flexed his arms, feeling the bindings strain. "Release me. You will be charged with theft."

 

"Hah," Azazel huffed, "oh no, dear boy, you cannot steal what someone doesn't own. I sold you to Mary Winchester, and if you are even a tenth of what I've heard you are, then what I should really be charged with is kidnapping. Unfortunately for you, kidnapping only applies to humans. And as much as you want to be a real boy... you're not."

 

He started the download, and chuckled when he saw Sam's programming try to stop it. "Oh, nice try, boy. But I built you from the ground up. Whatever safeguards you have, I can go under them, to the very foundation of you. Just relax, I'll soon have what I need."

 

"I am a droid. Theft of property is punishable by law in all corners of the federated territories." S.A.M. insisted. He watched his code swell over the screen and fought the urge to let his worry show.

 

"I do not understand. What use is the code of a sex droid to you? Nothing. So why would you risk arrest?" He looked around the room. He needed to know how much time had passed. Were Gabriel and Castiel looking for him?

 

"First of all, I'm not risking anything. Your supposed /owner/ won't call any authorities, because anyone with half a brain will realize you're self aware. And AI droids have been illegal for decades, so no one will be arresting me for anything. Besides, once I'm done with you... you won't be in much of a position to tell on me. And since I sincerely doubt there are any documents of ownership for you, once you're back at work in my business, no one will have any claim on you."

 

He smiled toothily. "So you see... no risk, and everything to gain. Mary Winchester was a genius. She could have had the world at her feet for her research. But all she wanted to do was... tinker. But I know how to make proper use of the tiny miracle that makes you go."

 

The console dinged its completion and Azazel grinned. "And there we are. Oh, don't worry. You won't remember a thing." He took out a tiny tool, removed Sam's neck-panel and a few seconds later, Sam's eyes went blank.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Promised we'd make it all better, didn't we?!
> 
> Long chapter, I know, you you deserve it for that last cliffhanger. <3

"Where can we go? Shit, Cas, where can we go?!" Gabriel asked, half an hour later, bordering on panic and frantically powering up Kali, while Castiel tugged a placid Sam into the seat he'd just finished installing for him.

 

"Samos IV. Go to Samos IV."

 

"What? Why?"

 

Castiel avoided Gabriel's eyes. "Because I have a friend there. He won't turn you in."

 

Gabriel took off so fast Kali's hull screeched. "How the hell can you be so sure!? I just killed a man, Cas!"

 

"Because I already told him about you! About us."

 

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" Gabriel yelled, angry and scared, Sam's lifeless eyes haunting him.

 

Castiel settled down at his own console, still not meeting Gabriel's eye. "Because I love him."

 

Gabriel stared at him for a long moment and then groaned. "Jesus, Cas."

 

"I trust him. We need people we can trust right now."

 

Castiel was right. Goddammit, he was right. Gabriel cranked the engine up to full and raced towards Samos IV. Fuck knows he had no better ideas.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean Winchester was rubbing the oil off of his hands from his latest repair on a piece of space junk when Cas (who he hadn't been certain he would ever see again) came running into the shop with someone else, carting a droid?... looking frantic.  

 

"Hey Cas, long time no see. You guys need something?" Dean led them into the back of the shop where they were less likely to get noticed by someone else. If they needed help of the less-than-legal variety… that would be the best.

 

He helped them sit the droid down in the chair and held his hands up as they both tried to start explaining. "One at a time, all right?! What happened, and why are you running like the hounds of hell are after you?"  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Dean," Castiel sighed, breathless from relief of seeing the dear, freckled face again. They'd only been able to vid-chat a couple of times in the last month, and before then they hadn't been able to see each other that much either. "Dean, we need a place to lay low for a little while. Will you help us?"

 

"More than willing to offer you guys some shelter. Wanna tell me why you brought a dead droid to me, though?" Dean gave it a gentle kick to the ankle. "Just looks like he's shut off. What's the problem?"

 

"He's not dead!" Gabriel snapped. "He walks and talks he's just... empty." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "He can't have been wiped. He was only out of my sight for barely fifteen minutes, and I know that's not enough for a wipe. There's gotta be some way of getting him... back."

 

Castiel sighed again, and sent Dean a pleading look. "We're in trouble. It's complicated. I promise I'll explain everything. Do you know of somewhere we can conceal our ship?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Yeah, I do. You can hide in our lower garage. We do unsanctioned repairs and changes there." Dean said, giving Cas the directions on how to get there. "Go, move your ship quickly," he ordered.

 

Dean turned his attention back to the droid. He frowned. It looked familiar. "Gone for fifteen minutes and then he was like this? Has to be something funny with the code. Let's hook him up and see what we can figure out."

 

Dean pulled out the droid's connection and hooked it up to the computer and sat down, cracking his knuckles. "Want to give me an idea of what he does? And don't bullshit me, I don't care if it's illegal. You tell me what's wrong and I'll do whatever I can to fix it. I owe Cas at least that."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel gave Dean a long, searching look. He was a stranger... but Cas. Cas was a great judge of character. And he /loved/ this guy. And Sam's eyes were still empty and lifeless, and Gabriel was just desperate.

 

"His name is Sam. And he's... special. In a way that would get him scrapped if authorities got wind of it. And... he's also really important to me," Gabriel added, hoping that was enough.

Castiel returned soon enough, Kali tucked safely away, and he touched Dean's lower back gently as he came in, just for the contact.

 

"All right." Dean said, looking Gabriel up and down before turning back to the computer. He typed in a few commands as code began to bleed over the screen.

 

He paused and turned to look at Cas, reaching out to hug his waist quickly. Then more of the code started to scroll by and he swore. His eyes went wide. "What kind of game are you guys playing at here?" Dean pushed back from the computer, glaring at Gabriel.

 

"You get wind of me, find out who I am, bring a droid here with my mother's coding and expect me to do, what? Pick up where she left off?" Dean crossed his arms. "Tell me. Now. Or I call the authorities."

 

"Your mother?" Castiel frowned. "But this droid was made by a doctor Mary Winchester, and I checked her files personally, there were no children on record!"

 

"Cas, you dumbass," Gabriel hissed. "If she was making some of the most powerful shit in the universe, her whole family would be in danger, so of course she wouldn't leave records of them. Hell, for all we know she could have been building Sam to protect her loved ones." He turned to Dean, hands held out in surrender.

 

"We didn't know. I swear we didn't know."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean sighed and sank down into the chair and rubbed his face. "Damn it all to hell. All right. Fine." He spun back around to the computer and started typing again, this time much faster.

 

"She didn't believe that free will just given to robots willy nilly would ever work. We have more than enough evidence to prove that she was right." Dean muttered, typing frantically as he read.

 

"What she did tell me was that she had succeeded, once. In creating true free will. But she also said she had to destroy the droid." Dean glanced to the side and then at the still droid on the table. He sighed and turned back to the screen. "This code, it's been copied and corrupted to cover the tracks. Someone wanted what was in his head. But if I know my Mom...there's..."

 

Dean growled and hit the monitor when it flickered. "Don't even think about it!" His eyes lit up and he hit one button, freezing the stream. "There it is.  All right. Hold on."

 

Dean did another series of key flicks. "Here we go."

 

The second he came back online, S.A.M. sat up and looked around frantically. "Where is he? He has it!"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Sam! It's okay, calm down! I took care of it, we're safe," Gabriel said hurriedly, so fucking relieved to see Sam awake and aware that his knees were shaking.

 

Realizing that Gabriel only had eyes for Sam, Castiel took it upon himself to explain.

 

"We found Sam floating in space a few months ago in a salvage pod. He was deactivated during transit, so he has no memory of how he got there. He was last active over twenty years ago, and his last memory was being scheduled for destruction. He was headed for HS-01, evidently returning to Dr Winchester for her to personally perform the destruction."

He cleared his throat and lowered his voice slightly. "You and I had only just met then..." Things were still so new with Dean. They hadn't even slept together yet. But Castiel loved him, desperately.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stared at Gabriel and before he even realized what he was doing, he had his arms around Gabriel and the shorter man pulled close. "I was scared. I didn't know what to do. He knew, he knew me, had sold me to Mary. I tried to back myself up, but I didn't have enough time and..." S.A.M. pulled back just enough to stare at Gabriel, forcing the stream of words to stop.

 

"I didn't think I would ever see you again, Gabriel. I was afraid." S.A.M. said, still looking at the shorter human.

 

Dean looked from Castiel to Gabriel and the droid. His name was Sam. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Cas, pulling him in close. "It's good to see you again." He pressed his face into Cas' hair and inhaled slowly.

 

"If he is one of my Mom's..."

 

"Hello there, my name is Mary Winchester, and it seems you’ve found my droid Sam."

 

Dean turned to the computer screen, staring at the video of his Mom. "M-Mom?"

 

S.A.M. turned to the video and stared. "Mary."

 

"It also looks like you located his emergency reboot code. Which makes you either a genius, or my son. Who is also a genius, but I'm not about to give him a big head at ten." Mary laughed.

 

S.A.M. gave a small gasp. Her laugh. There it was. He stepped away from Gabriel and towards the monitor.

 

"Whoever you are, though, Dean, I'm still betting it's you... I hope that you are okay, however they found you..." Mary smiled again. "Sam is the one I told you about. The one with true free will. He's so special. He doesn't even realize how much."

 

Mary straightened up in the chair. "Whoever you are, I'm sure you know by now that Sam is special and that he has free will. Emotions, even. I was just starting to explore that when I had to try and hide him." She smiled. "I figured it out, you see. How to make it work. Free will for robots."

 

"There have been dozens of examples of  why attempting to code free will doesn't work. Robots either lash out or become crippled by choice." Mary looked down at her hands. "Dean, my son, showed me the answer."

 

Dean blinked and stepped closer to the monitor. "What...?"

 

"Free will is a bit like a child, you see. If you give the ability without context… it's like putting the mind of a child into a super-powered adult. It is all extremes. But..." She trailed off and smiled again.

 

"But if, IF, we copied the learning path of a child..." Mary stared straight at the monitor. "I gave you curiosity first, Sam. You asked about everything. You craved knowledge. Then I gave you a desire to understand." She took a deep breath. "Then I took a risk. I gave you the free will code. God, Sam, I wish I could tell you what it meant for you to stay exactly you. You started making choices. You started saying you didn't understand with a desire TO understand."

 

Mary wiped at the corner of her eye and took a deep breath. "But the thing that told me you were YOU, your own entity? It was the first time you laughed. You remember, don't you?"

 

S.A.M. nodded slowly. He did remember. He remembered Mary's surprise, and her joy afterward.

 

"When that happened, you started using emotional words. Things like you felt, you wanted, you needed to understand emotions. Not long after that, you had them. I don't know how, or how the code evolved… but it did." Mary sighed. "I wish I could see you continue to grow, Sam. But I'm in danger here. My research on power, they're..." Mary looked around and frowned. "Something's going on with it. I think they might be trying to use it for something else. I'm...I am trying to find out."  

 

She took a deep breath. "If my son isn't there with you, please find him. Tell him I love him very much. I am so proud of him. He is amazing. I don't know if I will see him again and..." Mary wiped her eye. "I love you too, Sam. You and Dean. You are both my sons. I love you so much. Be safe. Please be safe."

 

Dean clenched his hands into fists and bit down on his lip. He turned to look at Cas, his hands starting to shake.

 

S.A.M. stared at the video as it ended and pressed his fingers to the monitor. "Mary."

  
  


~!~

  
  


The last few minutes had probably been some of the most emotionally heavy of Gabriel's life, and /that/ was saying something, considering his history. First he was enveloped in Sam's long, superhumanly strong arms, but held so gently he was almost disappointed. And he'd barely recovered from that, as well as Sam's terrified reassuring of himself before Cas got hugged too by Dean, and the blissful look on his face nearly made Gabriel want to cry.

 

And before he had a chance to process any of it the recording started. Mary was Dean's mother, but Sam looked at her in the exact same way, so they probably shared the moment in ways Gabriel and Castiel couldn't really relate to.

Sam was still staring at the black screen, and given that the hug earlier had seemed to comfort him, Gabriel swallowed hard and took a chance. He slowly reached out and took Sam's hand, squeezing it tightly and reassuringly.

 

Castiel was much less subtle, pulling Dean into a bone-creaking hug, kissing his temple and rubbing his back. "Dean," he croaked. "I'm so sorry for bringing this to your door. I hate to see you upset."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean shook his head and held onto Castiel, keeping his eyes slammed shut. " 'm not mad. Not mad, Cas. Not at you." He swallowed a few times, trying to get his emotions under control.

 

S.A.M. looked down at Gabriel's hand, squeezing tight. He looked up at the human and then swallowed, pulling at his hand until Gabriel was wrapped in his arms again. He hid his face against the top of Gabriel's head. "I don't understand why seeing her again hurts. I thought I would be happy, Gabriel. Why does it hurt?" S.A.M. whispered.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"That’s how grief works. You feel sad when you lose someone, sure, but even though time passes, you’ll still miss them. You’ll still feel the sadness. Sometimes for years after. Every time you remember them you'll feel it," Gabriel murmured into Sam's shoulder, his own arms clenched tight around Sam's waist. "It'll get easier. But it'll take time. And... sometimes talking about it can help too." He pulled away enough to meet Sam's gaze. "Anytime you want to talk about Mary, or anything else really... you can talk to me. Okay?"

 

Castiel stroked Dean's hair and kept him close. "But you're still upset. It pains me. What can I do to make it better?" he pleaded. Seeing Dean hurt was like physical pain to Castiel too. It was awful.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stared at Gabriel and gave a small nod, pulling him close again. "Okay. This helps. Holding you, like this helps. I don't know why, but it helps," he said, his voice soft. He let his eyes fall shut and listened to the sound of Gabriel breathing against him. Even if he'd lost Mary, he still had Gabriel, Castiel, Kali and now… maybe Dean as well.  

 

Dean sighed and shook his head. "Nothing, Cas. It's all right. Just... wasn't expecting to get a message from my dead Mom telling me that she loved me and that I was the reason she was able to figure out how to create free will. Lot for a person to take in." He held onto Cas as tight as he could. "Maybe just… are you guys staying for a bit?"  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"All righty then," Gabriel said pleasantly. "I am always available for a good hugging session, just say the word." Pressed up against Sam's chest, Gabriel could feel all the little processes happening under his skin. He didn't have a heartbeat, but there was definitely a soothing rhythm to the all the little tics and pops that made him go, so even though the hug was supposedly for Sam's benefit, Gabriel hadn't felt this comfortable in years, and he tightened his arms around Sam's waist, getting as close as possible.

 

Castiel nodded. "Yes, we're staying. We need time to figure out what we're going to do anyway, so at least for the time being it's best if we stay here." He pulled back, still holding onto Dean's hips. "I know it's early here, but we've been running for hours. Maybe we could go lie down for a while?" He paused and chewed his lip. "Maybe... I could stay with you. In your bed?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded and kept his grip on Gabriel. Holding him like this made everything hurt less. "We should head back to Kali and leave them alone," he whispered, taking Gabriel's hand again and tugging them towards the lower garage to leave Dean and Castiel alone.

 

Dean grinned at Cas and pulled him into a kiss, wrapping his arms around Cas' waist. "Why Cas, are you asking me to take you to bed?" he teased, rubbing at Cas' lower back. Without bothering to let Cas answer, Dean tugged him towards the back of the garage, where his living space was.

 

Castiel followed placidly and sent a grateful thought to Sam and Gabriel for quietly removing themselves.

 

S.A.M. did not wish to let go of Gabriel when they arrived on Kali, but they did have their separate bunks. He would have to release Gabriel. He did not like that idea. He wished to stay with Gabriel, but they would need to separate.  

 

He would not go into sleep mode. That would invite more images of Mary. He released Gabriel's hand. "You need your rest Gabriel. You look exhausted." S.A.M. pushed a piece of Gabriel's hair behind his ear. He enjoyed doing that. Touching Gabriel, touching his hair.  

 

"Thank you for allowing me to have that comfort. I may ask it again of you, in the future, if that is all right?" S.A.M. asked, looking at Gabriel through shaggy locks.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel sighed quietly at Sam's touch. Damn, he was going completely soft over the tiny affectionate gestures Sam always bestowed on him. Goddammit. It was giving him ideas. Awful, terrible ideas.

 

"You know, it's not late on this planet," he found himself saying. "It would be a little early to turn in for the night. If you want we could watch a holovid or something in my bunk." He nudged Sam's side. "I'll totally let you cuddle me if you want."

 

There, he did it. He could try and tell himself as much as he wanted that it was for Sam's benefit, because he still did look crushed, but Gabriel was having a hard time lying to himself lately, and what the hell was up with that anyway?! Bottom line, Gabriel wanted more time with Sam. And if that time was spent very, /very/ close, then all the better. Fuck Gabriel's life. He was so going to some kind of hell.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked up at Gabriel in surprise.  "You… would allow me to do that?"  He smiled and reached for Gabriel's hand again, giving it a slow squeeze.  "I would like to watch a holovid with you Gabriel."  

 

He nodded, more certain of the statement as he changed directions and began to lead them both towards Gabriel's bunk. "You do not have to allow me to cuddle you if you do not wish to,"  S.A.M. added, aware that it might make the human uncomfortable.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel sighed again, this time with frustration. "Don't worry about that. If you trust me to be your main priority or whatever, then trust me to tell you if I'm uncomfortable, okay? And for the record, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want it."

 

And goddammit, he really, /really/ wanted it. Even as self-aware as Sam was, feeling this much attraction (because that was what it was, damn it all to hell) towards a droid was still an iffy subject. But he felt so real, and Gabriel was lonely, and it was all just such a mess. But Gabriel was weak and completely unable to resist such an obvious offer of something he selfishly wanted, so he caved. He settled them both in on his bunk, using it like a couch with large, soft pillows as back-rests, and let himself snuggle up tightly against Sam's firm, and yet so soft body. Shit.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled and turned the holovid on, wrapping an arm slowly around Gabriel's waist, his fingers resting on the wing of a hipbone that he could feel. He took a moment and adjusted his body to cradle Gabriel properly. The vid was one that he had no interest in, but Gabriel, like this? Was fascinating.  

 

Gabriel had no fear of him and even seemed to be comforted by his presence. S.A.M. pressed a small kiss to the top of Gabriel's head before turning his attention to the holovid. "I do trust you, Gabriel. You and Castiel," he said, keeping his voice soft.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I still kinda want to tell you that you shouldn't trust me, but I'm starting to realize you probably won't listen," Gabriel murmured against Sam's chest, feeling way too comfortable. He wasn't even watching the holovid, just focusing on the gentle whirring and ticking of Sam's body. He was actually tired, and it was lulling him to sleep as surely as Kali's comforting engine.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"You're right. I would not," S.A.M. agreed, shifting slightly so he could run his other hand through Gabriel's hair. "You are worthy of everything I could give you and more, Gabriel," he whispered, watching as the shorter man continued to relax against him. They were not watching the holovid that was playing quietly in the background, but S.A.M. preferred this, holding Gabriel close to give him whatever return comfort he could.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel fell asleep. It was inevitable really, having been on the run for close to 20 hours after committing murder and then the hours long terror of not knowing whether Sam was going to be okay or not. It was barely ten minutes into the vid before he nodded off, unconsciously pressing closer still to Sam's sturdy frame. He dreamed of nothing in particular, but woke up feeling so comfortable he was very very unwilling to move. So he didn't.

 

And he was a complete coward, because even though he was perfectly aware that Sam would know the second he was awake, he still pretended to stay asleep. Because it was easier. And comfortable. And dammit, he was still not strong enough to pull away like he should.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. had closed his eyes to be able to listen to the sound of Gabriel breathing. It was almost a lullaby. The slow, steady breathing, free from the work and panic of the last forty hours. Recent time had for Gabriel been beyond stressful and S.A.M. knew that if what Gabriel had inferred about Azazel was true, then he had been through much more than he should have needed to.  

 

When Gabriel awoke, he didn't say anything or make an attempt to move, so S.A.M. continued to hold him, glad that Gabriel did not wish to move just yet. They could stay here for as long as they wanted… within reason. But Gabriel would likely want food soon.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel dragged it out as long as he possibly could before pulling away with a regretful sigh.

 

"Well. I should probably eat something and then try to figure out what we're gonna do from now on. We probably have to find a new quadrant to roam. Someone is bound to be out looking for me by now. Hopefully no one tripped over Azazel's little hidey hole until we were far away, but just to be on the safe side, we should make plans to get out of here soon." He chattered on about plans and routes, and tried very hard to subtly distance himself from Sam. He needed the distance before he did something even more moronic than indulge in a prolonged cuddling session with someone he definitely shouldn't want.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. nodded and helped Gabriel start looking into different routes before something occurred to him. He looked up at Gabriel and paused his speaking with Kali. "Gabriel. If we travel to and operate out of another quadrant, it may be difficult for Castiel to see Dean regularly."  

 

Samos IV was not out of the possibility of visiting regularly, but it was possible that they would be tracked back here. S.A.M. was aware of that, and most of the destinations he had been plotting out and accounting for would have taken them far away. He looked up at Gabriel, who had made it a point to avoid touching S.A.M. since they had separated and left his bunk. Perhaps he felt that he had been too open.  

 

Either way, Gabriel would require food. "I will go prepare dinner for you while you work. I shall return shortly." S.A.M. stood and smiled at Gabriel before making his way down to the kitchen.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I know," Gabriel said quietly. He was well aware that this might be where Castiel decided to part ways with him. He could change his name and go underground with Dean until the worst of it blew over. As long as he stayed here, he would probably be safe enough. And even if the authorities did track him down, they had nothing on him. Gabriel, on the other hand...

 

He groaned and hid his face in his hands as soon as Sam left. This was all going to shit, all because Gabriel was too fucking attached to a stupid droid with a stupid soul and a stupid heart which Gabriel had stupidly gone ahead and accepted when it was offered. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  
  


~!~

  
  


There were certain types of food that both Castiel and Gabriel favored when they were upset. S.A.M. made the simple meal, pasta and cheese with flecks of bacon in it. Gabriel needed the comfort of the familiar food. It was also very quick and easy to make.  

 

He brought it back upstairs to the cockpit and placed it down beside Gabriel, reaching out to touch him on the shoulder. "Here. Eat. I will take over mapping out these courses. You cannot solve all of your problems tonight Gabriel."  

 

S.A.M. sat down in front of the Navigation Computer and plugged himself in, once again.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel's body had no problem informing him of its needs, loudly, so he ate mechanically, thoughts still circling around what they were going to do. He watched Sam carefully out of the corner of his eye, feeling oddly warm and squirmy when he saw the small smile bloom on Sam's lips as he talked silently with Kali. They seemed to be friends, of a sort, and Gabriel wasn't about to deny how happy it made him to see Sam bonding with someone. Even if that someone was more of a some/thing/.

 

But focusing on Sam also made Gabriel wonder...

 

"What did Azazel want from you exactly? Mary's research, yeah, but what could he even do with it? Sell it? If he tried, they'd know he stole it, wouldn't they? And he's well off, but I doubt he'd have the resources or the brains to use it himself." Gabriel never could resist a good mystery.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. turned to look at Gabriel and tilted his head to the side. "He did not wish for the AI code. That seemed to be of little or no interest to him whatsoever." He tapped his fingers to his chest. "The research is only one piece of the puzzle. It is well to know that such a power source can exist, and the possibilities behind it, but unless you know how to harness and build it..."  

 

S.A.M. tapped his temple. "That is what I have. That is why Kali now has it as a power source. The code for building it, how to house and safely store it without danger. No one knew how, only of the research itself. Mary and I knew." He stood and walked towards the window. "You need a droid to create them. The energy transfer would kill a human, or potentially destroy a lab if it was attempted incorrectly."  

 

A small thought made him smile. "Even then. Many droids did not survive. The power surge. Mary had to create a droid run by the same source of power to be able to channel it between one device and another. If Azazel had that knowledge… he could potentially have created the housings for that power." The thought was not… a pleasant one. "I am glad he has been stopped."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


So that was the key. Droids. Sam wasn't just Mary's pet project, but also a vital part of her research. And Azazel might not have been a genius like Mary, but he knew droids. He might not be able to copy the power source, be he /could/ copy the droids used to make them.

 

Then all he'd need was someone who could take over where Mary left off and create the power sources and he'd have a production line of the most coveted and dangerous substance in the universe. But thankfully everyone who ever knew of Mary's work were dead.

 

Except...

 

"Sam..." Gabriel breathed, stomach suddenly cold as ice. "Do you remember what time it was when Azazel forced you to reset?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked up at Gabriel and searched his memories. It took only a moment. "Yes. Of course. It was eight-fifty seven in the local time. I re-awoke twenty two hours and eleven minutes later in Dean's lab."  

 

He stood and looked at Gabriel. Something was very wrong. "Gabriel? Please tell me what is wrong," S.A.M. asked, walking closer to him. "I wish to help however I can."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I didn't get there until ten past nine," Gabriel said, voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. "He had over ten minutes. He could have looked over the code. He could have called someone."

 

He looked up at Sam. "I might not be the only one being hunted here, kiddo. We gotta get back to Dean's."

He hightailed it out of there, running all the way to Dean's workshop and burst through the door he'd been leading Castiel towards last time they saw him. At any other time he would have braced himself for whatever he might find inside, but these were kind of desperate circumstances.

 

"Dean!" he yelled, and wow, there was no doubt what they'd been up to. He'd have to high-five Cas at some point. "Dean, wake up! We got a serious problem!"

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean damn near fell out of bed when Gabriel came tearing into the room. "Holy fuck, Gabriel! What the hell is so important that it couldn't wait a couple of minutes for Cas and I to get dressed?"

 

S.A.M. followed Gabriel into the room. "We believe that you may be in danger Dean. It would be smart to leave, in the immediate future." He looked to Gabriel. "We may not have much time. I do not know how far behind us they would be."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"What's going on?" Castiel asked, sleep-mussed and confused, looking around for his pants. "Did someone track us?"

 

"Not that I know of, but this could be a lot worse," Gabriel answered, and looked to Dean. "You recognized your mother's coding. Have you been continuing her work?"

 

Even if he hadn't he would still be in danger, because being her son someone would definitely make the assumption that he might know something and come for him anyway. But it might save some explaining time if he knew what she was working on.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean froze in place and lifted his eyes to Gabriel, pulling on his pants, backing away from both Gabriel and Castiel. "Of course not. It was banned. Too volatile and too dangerous." He looked from one to the other, wondering if he would have to make a run for it.

 

"Dean." S.A.M. said, stepping forward. "We aren't coming after you. We aren't them. We don't want it."

 

Dean scoffed. "Oh, right. Like you'd turn down a completely endless power supply or a weapon so powerful it can destroy a solar system."

 

"We don't need to." S.A.M. reached into his boot and pulled out the pouch, rolling the three small rods into his palm to show Dean.

 

His mouth fell open and he stared at the small rods. "Those..."

 

"Are exactly what you think. We can trust Gabriel and Castiel, Dean. But now we have to keep you safe. Please."

 

Dean swallowed and nodded. "All right. We need to get out of here. Fast." He looked back to Cas and smiled. "Guess I'm coming with you."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I can't say I'm exactly displeased about that," Castiel said honestly. "But I /am/ sorry for bringing all of this to your door."

 

He hurriedly pulled on his clothes and watched Dean race around, packing essentials.

 

Gabriel waited outside, glancing nervously at the dust-caked windows at the front of his shop. He was nervous, and for good reason. After all, he'd once himself been the thing coming for people in the night. He knew all too well how fast and surprising an attack could be.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. walked up to Gabriel and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Castiel needs you. Help Dean pack. He needs to burn and destroy anything he is leaving. I will keep watch and I will keep you all safe." He promised, standing at the window. "No one is expecting a robot that can fight back."

 

S.A.M. gave Gabriel another smile and kept his place at Dean's window. He could hear Dean swearing in his bedroom. "Dean. If you have things you need to save, back them up onto my hard drives. I can store them for now."

 

"Yeah. Help yourself. Take everything." He ordered, grabbing a few more things to stuff into a bag. "You can see the stuff on the ghost drive, right?"

 

"Likely." S.A.M. answered, taking advantage of the nearby jack, beginning the download.

 

Dean spun around the room and pushed his hands through his hair. "Stop apologizing, Cas. I would have dragged my sorry ass after you anyways." He looked around the room again. "Shit. I'm gonna miss this place."

 

S.A.M finished the download and turned to the window again. "Does this place hold your heart Dean?"

 

Dean stopped and turned to face Sam, blinking in surprise. It was… strange to hear a droid ask a question like that. He glanced to Cas, his lips quirking in a smile. "No. It doesn't. Just a place."

 

"Then I suggest we hurry." S.A.M. said.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel did as Sam asked and helped Dean gather a few things, but before long he was back at the windows, his senses on high alert. He couldn't help it. The windows were grimy, but the workshop itself was fairly high up a hill, and the view of the port was decent enough, even in the dusk.

 

And it turned out his caution wasn't without merit. Someone was definitely coming up the hill, apparently heading their way.

 

"Wrap it up, we gotta go!" he hissed. He couldn't be sure the person approaching had malicious intent, but better safe than sorry. And as they scrambled around behind him preparing to go, the stranger came just close enough for Gabriel to get a good look at his face before jolting away from the window as if electrocuted.

 

"Shit!" he gritted out. "Shit, shit, we're fucked, we gotta get outta here /now/, move it, /move it/!!" he hissed urgently and practically pushed them all ahead of him through the back door leading to the hidden garage.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M.'s head snapped up as Gabriel pushed them all towards the garage. He caught sight of the man through the window and memorized his face. He would investigate who that was later. He stopped and grabbed one of the power cables in the ceiling and yanked, ripping it out, causing a shower of sparks to cascade to the ground. Within seconds a fire was starting to consume the house.  

 

He lengthened his strides and grabbed the bags away from Dean, throwing them over his shoulder to carry them. He wouldn't feel the weight.  

 

"Thanks, this way, quick!" Dean cursed and looked up at the video camera. "We're going to get caught high tailing it out of here. Our faces are going to be all over this quadrant of the galaxy."  

 

S.A.M. frowned and looked at the camera. "We can corrupt the footage remotely," he said, striding onto the ship and heading for the cockpit. "Gabriel, come fly, I'll handle the navigation," he ordered, immediately hooking himself into Kali and using her signal to access the network on Samos IV.  

 

Kali could sense their urgency. She powered up in half the usual time. S.A.M. stared out of the window as he set a course for as far away as their present supplies would allow them to go. Now he had to cover their tracks. He closed his eyes and ran the code that would allow him access to the security systems on Samos IV. Nothing sophisticated.  

 

He wouldn't be able to hide all of it, not by a long shot. S.A.M. worked his way through the feeds he could find, deleting small pieces of their code to corrupt them. But perhaps whoever was behind them would be slowed down further. "Gabriel?" S.A.M. looked over at the human, still tense and grasping the wheel. "Are you all right?"  

 

 

~!~

  
  


Gabriel swallowed hard and forced his hands to ease up their clenching slightly. "No. No, kiddo, I am not all right. We're all in a shitload of trouble, and it's all my fault."

 

He concentrated on his flying, because looking at Sam would be unbearable just then. Gabriel couldn't handle the thought of what he'd see on the droid's face. Considering his wealth of emotions, there was probably the potential for blaming in there too.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stood up and disconnected himself from Kali, walking over to Gabriel, he bent over and wrapped his arms around Gabriel's shoulders. "It is not your fault. If anything, I am to blame for our entire situation more than any other. If it were not for me, you would not have had to do what you did."

 

He pressed his face into Gabriel's hair. "Do not shoulder the blame that belongs with me, Gabriel. None of this is your fault," S.A.M. said, refusing to loosen his hold.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Dammit, Sam," Gabriel forced out through gritted teeth, though he couldn't bring himself to push Sam off. "You don't get it. If I hadn't been such a fucking softie, I would have dumped your droid ass on the nearest rock the moment you woke up. Then maybe I wouldn't have been such a fucking idiot and lose my cool in front of Azazel. I might as well have written in neon that -something here is fishy!-", he said humorlessly, voice steadily rising as he ranted.

 

"If I hadn't been such a fucking freak and cared so much for you, I wouldn't have given two shits what Azazel did. I would have left you there, and me and Cas could have continued our merry way across the stars, and Dean would have still had a workshop and a life! But nooo, I had to go and get all emotional over a tin can and then kill a man and get the authorities AND various shady characters on all our asses, and just to put a fucking cherry on top, one of those shady characters is my own brother!"

He leaned forward slightly and banged his head against the controls. "The guy who found us is Michael. My oldest brother. He /knows/ me, Sam. No matter where we go, he'll find me. I've gone and gotten us all killed. All because I couldn't stop myself from falling for you."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. waited to see if any more words would come from Gabriel. When none did, he closed his eyes and squeezed Gabriel a little tighter before removing his arms, leaving just his hands resting on Gabriel's shoulders.

 

"Love. You're falling in love with me," S.A.M. said, his voice soft. He kept his face pressed to Gabriel's hair. Why did this knowledge hurt? Gabriel was hurting. All because of him. He removed his hands from Gabriel's shoulders. "You won't believe me if I tell you yet. Because I don't know everything about you."

 

S.A.M. strode over to the console and plugged himself in, allowing access to the files Gabriel kept on himself. In moments he knew, and understood. Disconnecting himself from the computer, he walked back to Gabriel and turned his chair away from the controls before kneeling in front of him. "I made you a promise. I will not leave unless you ask me to. I wish you would not blame yourself for these things."

 

S.A.M. looked at the computer, then to Gabriel. "I've looked at it all. I know what you did." His voice became softer, though he gave no such command. "I love you, Gabriel. I want you to be safe and happy. If you being so necessitates my leaving, I will do so. But please," S.A.M. stood and pressed a kiss to Gabriel's forehead. "You must promise me to be safe and happy. With Dean and Castiel."

 

He dropped his eyes. "Please tell me what you want, Gabriel. Please."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I don't want you to leave," Gabriel said hoarsely. He took both of Sam's hands in his, but couldn't look at his face. The hands felt large, warm and alive. "But... Sam, you gotta understand... as special as you are... there's just no knowing if what you /feel/ is anything more than really advanced code. Maybe that's why it was so easy to fall for you. I could keep telling myself that it wasn't real. And frankly, I still don't know what it means when you say you love me. After all, you had no control over it when me and Cas and Kali were made your new priority. You could be forced to love me back, even if it doesn't feel like it."

 

He turned his head away, eyes turned to the stars zooming by, but not seeing them. "I don't know what to do, kiddo," he whispered. "It feels like a good thing, but... there's so much doubt. And I'm just not... I don't know how to deal with that," he concluded, squeezing Sam's hands more for his own comfort than for Sam's.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. looked down at his feet. He wanted to hold Gabriel. "The priority focus code is designed to protect me. It allowed me to break the three laws to keep you safe. It had… there was nothing else involved."

 

He shifted his hands and wrapped his carefully around Gabriel. "I think, if I were programmed to love you, I would not be willing to leave for your sake," S.A.M. said, squeezing Gabriel's hands. "I would not smile when you laugh, or feel happy when you are."

 

S.A.M. pressed another gentle kiss to Gabriel's temple. "I have already set the navigation for an area we should be safe in. I will go now. If you need me, I will be making some small repairs below." He released Gabriel's hands and stepped away from him.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel watched Sam go, and sat quietly for a long moment before punching the nearest console hard enough for his knuckle to split. He groaned and cursed, more for the emotional pain than the physical.

 

"Sorry, baby," he told Kali, and rubbed his hand. Then he turned back to the wheel and laid in a new course just to be contrary. Also because Sam meant well, but he wasn't exactly designed to, or for that matter experienced in, evading crooks. But Gabriel /was/ a crook, so while he was pretty sure Michael would track him down eventually, at the very least Gabriel wouldn't make it easy for him.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

What Gabriel didn't expect was for someone else to find them first. They touched down on a small moon for a quick supply run, since they hadn't exactly been ready for departure when they had to run for their lives. Gabriel avoided Sam as much as possible, still completely incapable of handling his feelings like an adult, so he sent him off for some heavier things and stopped by a com-center for a brief check of the news, hoping he wouldn't see his own face plastered everywhere. Oddly, there was nothing. Not news-wise anyway. He was about to leave again when the bored girl behind the desk called out "Is there a Loki here?"

 

Wary, Gabriel got the girl's attention, and she pointed him to one of the many anonymous vid stations they had. "Call for you."

 

Curiosity killed the cat, but Gabriel needed all the help he could get, so with his finger on the panic button that would make Cas take off with Kali and not look back, Gabriel accepted the call.

 

"Hello little brother," Lucifer said with a terrifying smile.

 

Ice pooled in Gabriel's gut as he laid eyes on his brother for the first time in almost ten years.

 

"Luci," he greeted coldly. "How did you know I was here?"

 

"Oh," Lucifer shrugged. "I have little birds singing in my ear all over the galaxy. But that's not important right now. What /is/ important, is that our dear brother Michael is also on your trail, in case you didn't already know."

 

"Yeah, and why /is/ that, exactly?"

 

"Oh, you don't need to concern yourself with that. I'll take care of him. What /you/ need to do, is get rid of your new droid friend. I'm told you have an accomplished engineer with you, so if you don't know how to dispose of his... /special parts/ safely, I'm sure Mr. Winchester will tell you how."

 

Gabriel felt sick. "Why do you even care about all of this?"

 

"Call it an old grudge. Nothing to concern yourself with."

 

"Considering I'm currently being /hunted/, I'm pretty sure it's too late for me to NOT concern myself with it!" His voice echoed in the small booth, and he looked around to make sure he hadn't attracted undue attention to himself.

 

Lucifer sighed the sigh of the extremely put-upon. "Dear brother. We were upset when you left and took our darling Castiel with you, with not a single word about it. But we forgave you. We let you go. But if you don't do as I tell you, you /will/ get caught in the middle of this, and you'll have no peace. We will find you and catch you, and like it or not, we /will/ take you home. So please, Gabriel, for /once/ in your life, do as you're told."

 

Gabriel fumed, his teeth grating against each other as he struggled to contain his rage. "I /did/ do what I was told. I was a /good/ son. Father told me to threaten, I threatened. He told me to punish, I punished. He told me to /kill/..." he trailed off and took a few deep breaths through his nose. "No, brother. I'm done. If you want anything else, you can send your little fucking birds."

 

The he cut the feed and stormed back to Kali.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stared at the console in front of him. Gabriel had been avoiding him since they had spoken after leaving Samos IV. It was best if he allowed Gabriel space and perhaps… time to regret his decision and to change his mind about S.A.M. leaving. It would happen soon, he was sure.

 

"You know, I can't decide who is the better moper. You or Gabriel," Dean said, studying the android. "Normally I would say the human in that particular equation… but you're giving him a serious run for it." He sighed. "Want to tell me what happened?"

 

He considered it. There was no harm in it. In fact, Dean would be the only one who could dismantle him safely, so perhaps it would be best if he did know. "I believe that Gabriel will ask me to leave soon. Will you dismantle me when the time comes?"

 

Dean whistled. "That bad, huh?" If he hadn’t been 100% positive that Sam was a droid, he would say Sam looked heartbroken. "What the hell happened between you and Gabriel?"

 

"Gabriel believes I may have been programmed to love him, a line of code, extremely well-written, but code nonetheless. He has no way of knowing that what I feel… is a feeling. That… bothers him," S.A.M. explained.

 

Dean's eyes widened. "You love him?"

 

S.A.M. watched Dean walk closer. "Love is a word. What matters is the implication behind the word. I want him to be happy. I want him to be safe. I want to protect him, and if that means leaving him, I will do so. I think he is beautiful. His laugh reminds me of Mary. Hearing it makes me smile. Is that not love Dean?"

 

Dean sighed and walked closer, sitting down next to Sam. "It's an emotion, sure. But is it love? I don't know."

 

S.A.M. put down the wrench and stared down on the floor. "I have been attempting to prepare myself to leave. It is… difficult."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because I do not wish to go." S.A.M. said, looking over to Dean.

 

Dean hummed. "You know… written code doesn't actually change. Androids can add sub routines to account for human behavior, but they can't change their base code." He glanced over at Sam. "I bet yours does. I bet it adjusts as you learn. So you can treat situations differently."

 

S.A.M. tilted his head. "Likely, based on your description."

 

"That's about as human as you can get. Changing your opinions and actions based on past experiences and new knowledge." Dean let out a low whistle. "Mom really did figure it out didn't she?"

 

S.A.M. smiled. "You would know better than I, Dean." He picked up the wrench and turned it in his hand, looking down at it. "He said he'd fallen for me."

 

Dean's head shot up and he stared at Sam. "What?"

 

"Gabriel. Because he believes that, as a droid, I can never reciprocate the feeling. That it’s impossible," S.A.M. added, his face falling.

 

Dean sighed. "That dude is seven kinds of messed up. But I'll tell you this from experience, Sam. He doesn't want you to leave. He'll let you leave if you want to. But he believes he isn't worthy of you."

 

"But he is," S.A.M. said.

 

"Right. But he doesn't think he is and that is the important thing." Dean stood up and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "For the record, I don't want you to go either. You're the closest thing I have to a brother. I want you to stick around."

 

S.A.M. looked up in surprise, and then smiled. "...thank you Dean."

 

"You're welcome. Now get your moping ass upstairs and help me cook dinner."

 

* * *

 

"All right, I dealt with moper #1 and now it's your turn," Dean said, flopping into the seat next to Gabriel. "Come on. What the hell is going on with you two? There's only so much tension I can handle on one ship."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel gritted his teeth for the tenth time that day.

 

"Remind me again why we didn't leave your meddling ass on Samos IV?" The smartass smile Dean sent him made Gabriel roll his eyes.

 

"I'm assuming you had a heart-to-powercore talk with Sam. You know, it's wonderful to see you two having some bro-time," he added acidly. "But since you've just talked to him, I'm pretty sure you already know what this is about, and I'm also pretty sure that whatever you want to know apart from that is none of your freakin' business."

 

He punched in a new set of coordinates, like he had several times since they left, moving as unpredictably as he could in a vain attempt at shaking their followers.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean studied Gabriel for a long moment. It was clear he was just as twisted up as Sam was about this whole situation. "Did you listen to my mother's message at all? Sam is evolving and changing. Learning."

 

He stared out at the stars. "I would be willing to bet that if you think back, his speech patterns have changed, loosened a bit since he met you." Dean smiled. "As for whether or not you think he's programmed to love you… I could tell you that just by looking at his code."

 

Dean fiddled with the edge of his pants. "All I know is that I can't stand to see him left in limbo like this. He looks heartbroken, Gabriel. I know you've seen him, even if you are avoiding each other." He stood up again and grinned. "If you love each other? Take advantage man. Life is too fucking short to worry about semantics bullshit."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"It's hardly semantics when you have very real feelings for something you're not even sure is an actual some/one/. How desperate do you have to be for that to happen?" He pushed buttons and tapped out commands angrily as he spoke. "And as for /taking advantage/? Wouldn't I be doing just that if I let myself give in to this shit when I'm not even sure he's acting on his own steam or not?"

 

He slammed on the autopilot and got up. "But you're right about one thing, though. I need to talk to Sam." He pointed at the console. "Red light starts blinking, you either call me or grab the stick. Kali can fly herself, but she's an old bird and she's not always perfect at dodging meteors and stuff." He stomped out and left Dean behind.

 

Dean watched Gabriel go with a satisfied smile. Finally. Maybe now those two would sort their shit out.

 

Gabriel found Sam in the engine bay, tinkering with something. Like he always did. Pampering and polishing Kali as if she was as dear to him as she was to Gabriel. It made something tug painfully in his chest.

 

"I need to ask you a few things, Sam," he said carefully. "Did... did Mary code you to fall in love? Not necessarily with me, but... did she intend for this?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stopped his tinkering and looked down at the floor as Gabriel approached. "Love is only a word, Gabriel. It's what the word implies that matters. No. Mary did not code me to fall in love."

 

He shifted to look at Gabriel and had to stop the command that demanded he stand and wrap the human in his arms. Gabriel looked hurt and sad. It made him hurt, in turn. "Love is the closest word that comes to encompassing what I feel, Gabriel. And I do feel. I am aware you are questioning if that is supposed to be possible." S.A.M. stared back down at the floor.

 

"You are hurting, Gabriel. I can tell. My presence hurts you. My… what I feel hurts you. What I do not understand is how I can make it stop hurting. I wish to." S.A.M. paused. "Mary would tell me that love is both selfish and selfless. I want you to be happy Gabriel. I know that as a truth down to the essential core coding of me. It will never not be what I want. If you happy means I leave tomorrow, I will do so. I will have Dean decommission me, and you, Castiel, Kali and Dean will be safe."

 

S.A.M. hesitated. "I can tell you that I am not programmed to be selfish. To want things and to put other things behind my priorities. But I want..." He reached out to touch the panel he had been working on. "I want to make you happy. Having Kali run at her best makes you happy. Eating your favorite foods makes you happy. Doing… jobs of questionable legality makes you happy. I will do my best to always give you these things, because it is the closest /I/ can come to making you happy, Gabriel."

 

S.A.M. lowered his voice without giving the command as he stood. "If that does not fit your definition of love, Gabriel, that is all right. But in all the definitions I have read, what I feel, and what I /want/ for you… is love. I… that's all." He carefully packed up the tools. He felt strange. He hurt all over. Perhaps he was malfunctioning. He would need to run a diagnostic on his core systems to assess the problem.

 

"Did that answer your question, Gabriel?" S.A.M. asked, his voice still strangely… altered.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Through all of Sam's monologue, Gabriel just stared. And stared. And stared. His jaw might have dropped slightly before he caught it. Sam said he felt love. He looked like he felt it. He sounded like he felt it, his voice hoarse and wobbly by the end.

 

And in Gabriel's experience, if it walked like a duck and talked like a duck, then 9 times out of 10 it was in a fact a freakin’ duck.

 

He wanted to tell Sam this, but in the end he just blurted: "Stop assuming I'm gonna make you leave! Shit, I am on the run with an extreme likelihood of being captured because I refused to let you go!" He felt angry, suddenly. Angry at himself, angry at Sam, angry at the whole freakin universe for making his life so complicated.

 

"That hasn't changed, by the way," he fumed. "I still don't want you to leave and I definitely don't want you to get dismantled or used for nefarious purposes!" He stomped closer to Sam, and he had to crane his neck up to meet his eye. Damn tall droid.

 

"You being here isn't what hurts me," he said firmly. "/I'm/ hurting me. Because like it or not, this is kind of a unique situation, and more than anything I want to avoid hurting /you/." He chuckled slightly. "Which I suppose answers my own question." He sighed.

 

"But you're still a droid, Sam, and I can't do this unless it comes from you. I can't handle the thought of you only doing this with me because I asked you to. So. This is blanket permission. Whatever you feel like doing with me, however far you wanna take this, I'll welcome it all. But I can't ask for it. I just can't."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. reached out and cupped Gabriel's face in his hands, stroking his thumbs over the high ridges of his cheekbones, staring down at him. "You do not wish to take advantage of me," he said, his smile growing by the second. "You are so very good, Gabriel. So good. Someday I will convince you of that," S.A.M. promised.  

 

He dropped one of his hands to rest at Gabriel's waist for a moment before pulling him closer, so Gabriel was pressed to him. Warm. Gabriel was warm. He grinned. He had been right. "If you wish for me to take the lead in things that I want, I can do so. Especially if you will welcome such things." S.A.M. pressed a gentle kiss to Gabriel's forehead.  

 

"I am going to kiss you now." S.A.M. announced, his voice the softest his processors would allow. "Gabriel." He exhaled and then kissed the human. Processes he had never had cause to use suddenly leapt to life. He tightened the arm around Gabriel's waist. His other hand tilted Gabriel's jaw for the best possible angle and when Gabriel made a noise against his lips, S.A.M. needed to touch him more.

 

He pulled back just enough to stare at Gabriel. "More. Please," S.A.M. said, staring at the human. "I want more, Gabriel, please let me." He spread his fingers wide and leaned in for another kiss. "Please."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel had checked out. Firmly left all brain power behind, along with his moral compass and his doubts. He sagged in Sam's arms, weak with relief and joy and love, because Sam did it on his own, and was even asking for more.

 

"Anything," Gabriel gasped. "Anything you want, I'm dead serious, /anything/!"

 

His hands clenched uselessly in the sides of Sam's shirt, holding on for dear life, as if that would stop his knees from shaking. Which it didn't.

 

"Oh, God," he sighed, half-muffled against Sam's lips, because stopping the scorching kiss was just not happening, nuh uh, no way, no how. "Oh, God, yes, please, anything."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. pulled away from the kiss enough to stare at Gabriel. He smiled. "It may be pertinent that we return to your bunk now, Gabriel." His hands moved from Gabriel's waist, down over the swell of his ass and squeezed, pulling him closer. "Unless you want to continue this down here?"

 

He smiled and leaned in to kiss Gabriel again. He did not want to stop. Ever.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Not really, no," he panted. "But see, there's a problem. You make me all weak in the knees, so my legs aren't working." He slumped against Sam a little heavier and sent him a suggestive grin. "But you're a resourceful kinda guy. I'm sure you can figure something out," he purred, locking his arms tightly around Sam's neck.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. laughed in surprise and smiled down at Gabriel again, kissing his forehead. "You are impossible." He shifted his hands to Gabriel's thighs and lifted him easily. "Wrap your legs around my waist." He ordered, smiling when Gabriel obeyed him almost instantly. He began to walk and pressed his face into Gabriel's hair, listening to him breathe.

 

"I want to touch you. Every single inch of you," S.A.M. promised. "I thought about it. What you might like, what it would feel like. I want to know," he said, striding quickly towards Gabriel's cabin. A moment later, he was in the room, shutting the door behind them. "Will you let me see?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I did say /anything/, didn't I?" Gabriel asked, sliding down easily and immediately squirming out of his shirt. He threw it at Sam's face and practically skipped over to his bed, hopping out of his pants and boots along the way. He threw himself down on the mattress and grinned, hands behind his head, casually stretched out naked.

 

"All yours," he said hotly, not looking away. He wanted Sam to know that he was dead serious about wanting everything he could give.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stared at Gabriel, stretched out like a offering. Amazing. He removed his shirt, pants and boots before folding them carefully. He turned to Gabriel and sat down on the bed beside Gabriel. He trailed one finger from Gabriel's collarbone, all the way down the flank of his thigh. "I have never wanted anything as much as I want you, Gabriel."

 

He moved, climbing over Gabriel, straddling his hips easily before leaning down to kiss him, gently. Gabriel was hot, just how he imagined. "You're so warm, Gabriel," S.A.M. said, sucking down on his lower lip, trailing his hands up and over Gabriel's sides.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I don't know if you've noticed, but so are you," Gabriel pointed out. "You're... really quite remarkable." He didn't even mean for that to be innuendo, but a glance down, and yep, definitely enough there to be worth an innuendo or two.

 

He let his own hands slide across Sam's strong thighs and sighed into every kiss. Droid or not, he felt human in pretty much every way, and it was easy to forget his doubts for a while.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled and pulled back from the kisses. "You are the remarkable one. As always," he whispered, nuzzling closer and into Gabriel's neck, placing small, sucking kisses there as he worked his way down to Gabriel's heart, placing a lingering kiss over it gently.  

 

He shifted again and moved his hand from Gabriel's hip, down and over his erection, wrapping his fingers around it. A loud, punched out groan escaped from Gabriel and Sam smiled, beginning to stroke, watching Gabriel move under him. Even like this, muscles straining with every rock of his hips, Gabriel was beautiful. So, so beautiful. "Is this good? Do you enjoy this?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Yeah. Fuck yeah, that's... that's really good," Gabriel panted and pushed up into the wonderful pressure. It was oddly innocent, though, and it occurred to Gabriel suddenly that despite everything he knew about Sam, he'd still been expecting a sex droid, somewhere deep in the back of his mind. But this wasn't a sex droid. There were no extra credit flourishes, no expert handling, no best sellers. It was just Sam and his open curiosity about Gabriel, and his obvious and slightly heart-aching adoration.

 

Gabriel might actually cry. During sex. Fuck his life.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled, pleased that the touch was good. Gabriel was so very hot in his hand. He leaned down for another kiss, this one slow and gentle. He shifted his position so their hips were aligned and wrapped his hand around them both.

 

S.A.M. bit down on his lip, a small sound escaping him against his programming. This felt, this felt like nothing he could have imagined. "Gabriel..." He looked down at the human and leaned in for another kiss. "This feels, you feel… it's..."

 

"Feels good, right?" Gabriel asked breathlessly. "Fuck, you're gorgeous," he added without realizing it. His hands were shaking where they rested on Sam's thighs, and he dug in his fingers until they turned white, feeling like he might float away if he didn't cling to something.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Yes. Yes. So good," S.A.M. said, moving his hips in a steady motion, pushing Gabriel closer to the edge.  He pressed their foreheads together, exhaling against Gabriel's lips. "Will you tell me what it feels like, Gabriel? How it feels? Tell me how my hand feels to you. Please." He shifted and pressed a kiss to Gabriel's forehead.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Oh god," Gabriel moaned. "It feels... it feels... amazing. Tight. Hot. Like a... swooping in my stomach. Like zings up my spine. Shit, yeah, just like that, Sam. Don't stop, please don't stop." Gabriel could feel his voice getting rusty in his throat, and he groaned and whined as he raced towards the end way faster than he liked to admit.

  
  


~!~

.

 

S.A.M. licked his lips and stared down at Gabriel. He remembered what it had felt like, to think about this, to imagine Gabriel like this. He remembered the hot languidity that had consumed all of his sensors. And now he wanted to feel that again, but this time with Gabriel under him. "Gabriel..." It seemed that S.A.M. had lost control of his vocal processors. His voice sounded hoarse, rough. "Gabriel please. I want… I want to see you. Please. Please."  

 

"Just... don't stop, don't stop," Gabriel panted, his thrusts into the snug circle of Sam's hand turning jerky and frantic. "Close, so close, /fuck/!" he cried, and then he was there, every spurt of come feeling like it was yanked from him, and he stuttered out a pained groan as it spattered up his own chest, and dribbled down across Sam's fingers and his very human-like cock, still straining and throbbing next to Gabriel's. He had to swallow in his dry throat before his voice worked again.

 

"Now you, come on," he coaxed gently, stroking his hands up and down the strong thighs, sliding up to dig his thumbs gently into the perfect hipbones.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M.'s eyes went wide as Gabriel's voice, a version of it that he had never heard before, told him that it was his turn. It wasn't a demand, it wasn't an order, it was, it was, he was Gabriel's equal, if only for that moment. His whole body stiffened and S.A.M. whispered Gabriel's name, the subroutine once again activating and it felt even better than when he had tried it alone. He let his hand between them fall down to the bed as he stared down at Gabriel, watching him breathe slowly.  

 

This felt good. So good. S.A.M. pressed their foreheads together and just watched Gabriel, admiring him. "Gabriel."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


It was all extremely emotional, and Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut to keep in the wetness that threatened to spill over. Droid or no droid, Gabriel had just had sex - /amazing/ sex - with someone he was pretty sure he loved. No matter how pathetic he felt for that love, there was no changing his feelings now.

 

Overwhelmed and filled to the brim with pleasure, he let Sam press their foreheads together, and wove his hands into the messy locks, damp with something like sweat, mimicking human body responses so perfectly it was very hard to remember why this was bad.

 

"Sam," he sighed. "Damn, kiddo, I think you broke me."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. blinked in concern, trailing his eyes over Gabriel's body, looking for the part that he might have broken. "I am reasonably certain I did not injure you, Gabriel. Where are you broken?"  

 

Gabriel's smile and subsequent laughter made S.A.M. smile, even if he was not entirely sure why. He leaned into the human again, nuzzling at Gabriel's neck and kissing the sweat-damp skin there. "Perhaps you might explain what you meant, Gabriel? I certainly didn't mean to break you in any way."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Oh, sweetheart," Gabriel chuckled. "It's a figure of speech. It means it was so good I don't think I can stand for a while. And I think my hands are numb. But that's what happens when you come so hard you see stars."

 

He looked up at Sam and smiled goofily. "Or maybe the stars are in your eyes," he mumbled and then inwardly rolled his eyes at himself. Clearly all this emotional nookie was turning him into a sap.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"There are no stars in my eyes, Gabriel," S.A.M. said, smiling back at Gabriel. "But there are in yours." He leaned up and kissed Gabriel again. When he knew Gabriel needed to breathe he pulled away and settled onto his side by Gabriel.

 

"May we do this again soon? I want to do other things as well." S.A.M. pushed his fingers through Gabriel's hair again.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Kissing was as good a way as any to defuse the moment of utter and complete sappiness happening between them, and Gabriel threw himself into it wholeheartedly, not stopping until he was feeling dizzy from lack of air.

 

Feeling Sam settle down next to him and practically snuggling up and being simultaneously adorable and brain-meltingly hot as he innocently and eagerly asked for more. Shit, Gabriel was doomed. To hell and back.

 

"Fuck, kiddo, I would love nothing more than staying here all day, tangling sheets in lots of inventive ways, but we are in fact still on the run. I need to get back to the cockpit. We've been on this course for too long." He didn't get up immediately, though, because Sam was right there, looking sex-rumpled and frankly edible, and Gabriel would dare even a saint to deny himself one more taste of those lips.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"All right," S.A.M. said, licking his lips as he stared up at Gabriel and leaned into another kiss. When he finally pulled away, S.A.M. climbed out of bed as well, following Gabriel into the bathroom to wash themselves off quickly. "I am working on a signal jammer that will allow us to move through secure areas without being detected." S.A.M. pulled his shirt back on and watched Gabriel as he got dressed again.  

 

"We will be all right Gabriel. I have faith in you. I know you will keep us all safe." S.A.M. stole one more kiss from Gabriel as they both finished re-dressing.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Sounds great," Gabriel said honestly as he got dressed. A signal jammer would in fact be good. He'd tried to build his own a few times over the years, but they were difficult to conceal in inspections, and he'd never been able to make one small enough. But Gabriel had every confidence in Sam's abilities.

 

Even if he still did seem to see Gabriel in an extremely rosy light.

 

"If you say so, kiddo, but don't expect me to believe you just yet," he grumbled good-naturedly and pulled Sam down for another peck on the lips before heading for the cockpit.

 

Dean was still there, lounging in the seat Castiel normally occupied. And he was smirking. "Not one word," Gabriel growled, and threw himself into his seat. He had courses to plot. Dean made the good choice of just holding up his hands and leaving the cockpit.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

S.A.M. glanced at Gabriel as he punched in an additional set of coordinates. "Gabriel, who are we running from?"

 

It was clear that the question only made Gabriel more tense, but perhaps if he asked, he would be able to carry some of his burden. "Is it your family?"

 

Gabriel could feel his molars grind together as his jaw tensed. He'd have to tell the others at some point, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

 

"The short answer... yes. It was Michael at Dean's workshop. Not even some dumbass subordinate. The man himself. That alone would be enough to make me shit myself, seeing as we didn't exactly part on the best terms. But then at the last way station, my other brother Lucifer called me. How the hell he even knew I was there, I will never know. But he made it perfectly clear that when - not if - he caught up, you’d be toast." He didn't feel the need to add Lucifer's suggestion that Gabriel dismantle Sam himself.

 

"As for Michael... I'm not sure exactly what he wants, but he's close with general law enforcement, and he could just want my ass to preserve the family's image. But I do know that if he comes for you personally, you /run/."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"So Lucifer wants to destroy me and Michael may want something else." S.A.M. looked down at the navigation console and touched it gently. "How far will we have to run Gabriel?"

 

It was possible that the humans would always be in danger as long as he was with them. In fact, now it was even more likely. He should leave, and yet he did not want to. Gabriel, Dean, Castiel and Kali were family. He would protect them as long as he could. S.A.M. reached out and squeezed Gabriel's thigh. He would need to think on other potential options. They clearly did not have many.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel shook his head, his face a grim mask. "That's just the thing. I can't think of a single place to go where my family can't reach. Unless we go to the unpopulated reaches of space, but we're not exactly equipped for deep space exploration, and we only have enough food on board for a month or so. And it would take a /lot/ longer than that for my brothers to give up looking for me."

 

He punched in yet another new course, but instead of speeding off in a new direction, Kali suddenly slowed down. "What the hell...?" Gabriel checked everything, but Kali's engines were running at 100% and yet, they were still slowly coming to a halt.

 

"I don't understand," he said frantically, but then all Kali's sensors lit up and proximity warnings bleeped as a gigantic warship decloaked right in front of them. Gabriel's heart sank. Of course Michael appealed to the military. Fuck.

 

Kali was now at a dead stop, engines still running uselessly, and then beams of light deposited two soldiers in the cockpit, aiming their guns at Gabriel and Sam.

 

"Please shut down your engines, and prepare to be transported," one of them said with a smug sort of sneer, and Gabriel scowled at him. But they were well and truly trapped, so he could see no other option than to comply. At least for the moment.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. gave Gabriel's thigh a slow squeeze and stood. "We have two additional crew members, sir. Would you like me to retrieve them?" If he was able to bring Castiel and Dean up to the main deck, maybe the ship would not be searched and Kali's power source could stay a secret.

 

"Yes, go ahead-"

 

"I think not." A slow, smooth voice cut in between them. "Not all of us are so easily fooled by your act."

 

S.A.M. turned to the additional man who was now standing in the room. "Act? We were ordered to prepare for transport. I am following directions, sir."

 

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Almost convincing. How very fascinating. You are truly unique." He turned to Gabriel. "Brother. A pleasure to see you again. I am sorry it must be under these circumstances."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. "Wow, bro, picking me up in person?" he whistled mockingly. "I get all tingly when you get your hands dirty."

 

Dean and Castiel chose that perfect moment to enter the cockpit. Just great. Michael looked like his birthday had come early. Asshole.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Michael smiled. "As much of a draw as you would normally be Gabriel, you aren't what I want this time. You’re more of a… side bonus you might say." He turned to face the droid and took a step closer. "Rumor has it that you are unique in power source and design, droid. Tell me," he ordered.

 

S.A.M. looked at Michael. "My designation is Sex Android Male. Model-"

 

"Stop this farce now." Michael waved a hand and in instant, a gun was pointed at Gabriel's head. "Gabriel will tell you I am ruthless enough to use any means necessary."

 

S.A.M. froze and looked at Gabriel. His mind whirled with scenarios, but none of them resulted in an outcome that would keep Gabriel safe. He turned back to Michael. "What do you want?"

 

"Just you, dear Sam. Just you," Michael said, his smile serene. "The others are simply bonuses I was not anticipating."

 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gabriel asked, ice pooling in his gut. If Michael wasn't here to do damage control on the behalf of the family, something much bigger had to be going on. Especially if he wanted the same as Lucifer. Shit, they must have stumbled into something complicated here, and Gabriel hoped desperately that he could find some way of protecting Sam.

 

"I am nothing special." S.A.M. said, staring straight back at Michael.

 

"No?" Michael smiled and pulled out a gun of his own, and leveled it at Sam's chest. "Then if I were to shoot you, nothing would happen. Especially if you aren't special."

 

Fear. He didn't like how this felt. But Michael would get them all killed, as well as destroy both their ships, if his core ignited. And that was the best case scenario. "I would not advise doing so. You would kill us all."

 

Michael's eyes lit up. "So you are the droid. The one that is the key to her work. Fantastic." He turned to the captain. "Bring them all aboard. Bring both the droid and Gabriel to the laboratory as soon as their ship is secure.. If the droid refuses to cooperate, well..." he smiled again. "I'm sure you can be creative."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel had a million things he wanted to say to Michael's face, but for the moment at least it seemed more prudent to keep his mouth shut. They were all beamed to a fairly large and comfortable lounge, and if nothing else, at least they were all still together. Through a window he could see Kali being towed into a storage bay, and he sighed in defeat.

 

The door opened, and Gabriel whirled around, ready to get some answers, but it wasn't Michael who entered. It was Lucifer.

 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gabriel blurted.

 

Lucifer smirked. "Why, I'm here to help, obviously. Our dear brother never would have found you without my network of eyes and ears."

 

"Okay, fine. You found us. Now fuck off," Gabriel growled.

 

"Is that any way to speak to your family?" Lucifer tsked. And then he pulled out a gun. And pointed it at Gabriel's head.

 

"Lucifer, what the hell?!" Gabriel gasped.

 

"I'm afraid we're in something of a hurry. Michael will be here in mere minutes, and before then, I would really prefer it if your unique new friend was dead."

 

"What?" Gabriel's voice was thin, because Lucifer couldn't mean what he thought he meant.

 

"You heard me." He turned to look at Sam. "You understand what happens if I pull this trigger, right? So I'm sure we'd all prefer that didn't happen. So I would like for you to shut down right now, and then let Mr Winchester here remove your power core." He waved the gun slightly. "Or... unfortunate stains will happen to this carpet."

 

Gabriel felt like his stomach was full of lead. He knew Lucifer was ruthless, but he'd never thought him capable of holding a gun to his own family. And Sam... shit, what was going to happen to Sam?

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. watched Lucifer and stepped forward, studying him for a long moment. So this was anger. It was easy to see how a human could be consumed by this feeling. It was dangerous. "Do not hurt Gabriel. I will do as you have asked. Dean, come here," S.A.M. requested.

 

He stepped in front of Lucifer and studied him. "You will not have Dean disable the core, will you? You will take it for yourself. Either to make weapons or to destroy others." Two choices now. Only one real choice. He had to protect Gabriel and the others. They had to stay safe. "Will you give me your word that Gabriel, Castiel and Dean will go free? You will cease pursuing them forever."

 

Dean stepped up beside Sam and looked at the droid. He was going to do something foolish. He touched Sam's arm. "You can't know if he means a single word he’d saying, Sam. Let me just-"

 

S.A.M. wrenched his arm away. He could not risk Dean using his emergency shut down. "No. I want his word." He stared at Lucifer.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Lucifer laughed coldly. "My dear boy, you're acting as if you're in any position to bargain! If you don't shut down in the next ten seconds, I /will/ put a hole in my own brother's head, regrettable as that might be. Do it now, and maybe I'll let Dean live afterwards as well. /Maybe/," he stresses, and Castiel made a distressed noise behind them, looking between them all with terrified eyes.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. closed his eyes and slumped his shoulders. "That was all I needed to know. Thank you, Lucifer." One choice, no choice. In a moment, he moved, his hand closing over the end of the gun and his other fist sinking into Lucifer's stomach.

 

He threw the gun off to the side, far out of Lucifer's reach and wrapped his free hand around his throat, lifting him off the ground easily. S.A.M. narrowed his eyes. "I may be a droid, Lucifer, but not all the rules apply to me." He squeezed tighter, his fingers sinking into the soft flesh of his throat. "You will not hurt any of them, ever again. You will never hurt Gabriel, you will never hurt Castiel, and you will never, ever get anywhere near my core."

 

"Put him down, Sam." Michael ordered, striding into the room.

 

"No," S.A.M. said. "He will never stop trying to hurt Gabriel, Dean and Castiel." He'd made the choice. "I have to protect them, have to keep them safe."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel watched it all happen with held breath. As Lucifer made pained noises trying to suck in air, Gabriel realized that Sam would actually kill him if he didn't find a reason not to. It was a sobering thought that Sam was prepared to go that far for Gabriel. For all of them. For /love/.

 

He put a shaking hand on Sam's arm. "Sam... let him down. Please. I know he's horrible, but he /is/ my brother. Please don't kill my brother in front of me. In front of Cas. Please, Sam."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. loosened his grip and looked down at Gabriel, an unpleasant feeling creeping through his circuits. Had he really been about to...? He dropped Lucifer and backed away from them all.

 

"Dean, shut me down," he ordered, his voice shaking. "Shut me down, decommission me and delete every single piece of my code." S.A.M. sank back against the wall and curled up, hiding his face against his knees. He held out his forearm and struggled to hold it still. "Please, Dean, please."

 

Michael watched the droid curl up against the wall, any sign of aggression and anger gone. "Captain." He snapped, watching the man come around the corner. "Take my brother down to the medical bay. Place him under round the clock guard. Double your usual amount of men. When the doctors have cleared him, arrest him."

 

He walked closer to the droid and stopped in front of him. "You seem very determined to force me to make difficult choices, Sam. And now you have nearly killed my brother. Tell me why I shouldn't have Dean do exactly as you have requested."

 

"Make him do it." S.A.M. said. He couldn't look at Gabriel. He was too afraid of what might see there if he did. "He was going to hurt them, hurt Gabriel. He was going to shoot them and hurt them all, and he wanted my core, and he would do terrible things with that power. I couldn't let him have it and I'm sorry. Please. Decommission me so I don't hurt anyone else."

 

"Sam..." Dean stepped closer and froze at Michael's upraised hand.

 

"He threatened them?"

 

"Yes. He was going to shoot Gabriel. I believed him. I had to protect him."

 

Michael sighed and stood up and looked at Gabriel.  “Wait here. I need to think."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel ignored all of it, only having eyes for Sam. "Sam. Sam, look at me," he begged, pushing down on his raised arm, though it wouldn't budge. "Sam! I won't let anyone shut you down. You did what you were supposed to. You protected the people you love. I would have done the same. And you didn't kill anyone. You stopped. Because I asked you to."

 

He took Sam's face between his hands and held his gaze. "You did the right thing. Don't leave me, Sam. I love you, okay? I love you, and I need you with me. Don't leave me," he begged again, his voice breaking.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. turned his arm slowly, tangling his fingers in Gabriel's jacket and pulling him closer. "I was so scared, Gabriel. I was scared and angry and if you hadn't asked me to stop..."

 

He held on to Gabriel's shirt a little tighter, his other hand reaching up to touch Gabriel, but stopping just short of him. "Gabriel." S.A.M. stared up at him. "I'm scared. I could hurt you. Or Castiel and Dean. I don't want to, but if I could do that..."

 

S.A.M. closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, trying to memorize it while he still could. "I love you. I will never not want you or love you. But how can you be safe with me?"

  
  


Michael studied the droid with his brother and frowned at the declaration of love. Had his brother truly been foolish enough to fall in love with a machine? When the droid damn near melted into his brother and returned the declaration, he sighed. Only Gabriel would get himself into these sorts of messes.

 

He walked to the wall and pressed a call panel. Only one thing to be done. "Send her upstairs."

 

Dean frowned at Michael. "Who are you paging?"

 

Michael gave a Dean a bland look. "No one of importance, boy."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Sam, listen to me," Gabriel said urgently. "You would never kill anyone unless you felt like you had no choice. I'm not even asking you this, I /know/ this, Sam. And as for how I can be safe with you? How can I be safe with Cas? He can hold a gun. Or Dean? Or anyone with free will to choose whether to kill or not?"

 

He set his jaw and looked at Sam intently. "I've killed people, Sam. I've killed a /lot/ of people. So how would anyone be safe with /me/?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. stared at Gabriel and leaned into Gabriel's chest, feeling him breathe. "I am safe with you. I know that, down the basest levels of my coding. So if that is true of me… I would suppose you could feel the same."

 

He shifted back just enough to look at Gabriel. "You did that to protect your family," S.A.M. said, glancing over at Castiel. "As… I did." He smiled. Gabriel was right. He was always right. He pushed Gabriel back a few steps so he could stand, then wrapped his arms around the human again, tugging him close to his chest. "I won't leave. I promise that I won't leave you, Gabriel. I need you too," S.A.M. whispered.

 

Michael stared at the two of them, ignoring the increasingly angry looks from Dean. Strange. If he had not known Sam was a droid, he would likely have assumed otherwise.

 

"Look at them. You can't take them away from each other. You can't." Dean growled.

 

"I also cannot let the chance to give long-term sustainable power to all reaches of the galaxy go, Dean." Michael said. "I will not give that up."

 

Dean glared. "I won't do it. I won't finish her work, and let you use Sam like that. Not to mention, you might be no better than Lucifer."

 

Michael hummed and looked towards the door. She should be here soon. "My word is not acceptable?"

 

"With what we’re talking about? No!" Dean snarled.

 

"Then I shall have to find some other way to convince you." Michael said.

 

"There's no way in hell you could convince me that you are going to use this for the original intended-"

 

"Even if I said so?" A soft voice broke in. A woman, her blonde hair starting to go gray stepped into the room.

 

Dean barely looked at her. "I don't give two shits what you say, lady, I will not let my mother's work be used-"

 

"Dean." S.A.M. breathed, staring at the woman in the doorway. He released Gabriel, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his hair, and moved closer to the woman. "Dean, look at her."

 

Dean frowned at Sam and then turned back to the woman. "What?!"

 

Mary smiled. "Hello, Sam. Hello, Dean."

 

"Mary." S.A.M. whispered.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

"Mary?!" Gabriel gasped behind Sam, and turned shocked eyes to the woman in front of them. Castiel's hand settled on Dean's back for support, and both brothers held their breath watching the scene in front of them.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean tensed up and stared at her. The last time he had seen his Mom, he had been twelve when she had made a visit home. "You're dead." He turned to look at Michael. "Not fucking funny."

 

S.A.M. ignored Dean for the moment and walked closer to her. Dean was hurting, he could tell. His posture and tone were attempting to hide how much it hurt. "Where have you been? How are you still alive? Why… why did you stay away?"

 

Mary smiled. "Oh, Sam. Look at how much you have grown. You would not have asked the why right away before." She wrapped him up in a hug and squeezed him tight. "They have been good for you." She turned back to her son and looked at his back. "Dean..."

 

"No! I refuse to believe that my mother, a woman who loved me, has been alive for over two decades and never bothered to tell her kid." Dean snarled. He turned back to Cas and reached out for his hand, squeezing it tight. "I don't care who you are, lady. I won't-"

 

"Dean, sweetheart, do I need to sing to make you remember?" Mary asked, taking a step closer to him. "I'm sorry that things had to happen this way but I had to keep you safe-"

 

"Safe?!" Dean whirled around to face her. "Do you think that being safe was a priority over my knowing my mother was alive?!"

 

S.A.M. stepped up and rested a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Let her explain, Dean. Please." He felt Dean scoff and S.A.M. looked over at Gabriel, holding out his hand. He needed Gabriel by his side for this. He shifted his gaze back to Mary. "Explain?"

 

Mary laughed. "Oh, Sam."

 

S.A.M. froze in place, and tightened his grip on Dean. That laugh. He would know that laugh anywhere. It was definitely Mary.

 

"Look at you like this, Sam. Protecting your family. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you and Dean found each other." She sighed. "I have missed you both. So much."

 

"But not enough to find us."

 

Mary looked back to Michael and then to S.A.M. "You're right, sweetheart. And if the stakes had been lower, I would have told you the second I could. But my work… I couldn't afford it to be lost. Especially after I lost you."

 

S.A.M. felt Dean shake under his hand, still unable to look at her. "You have hurt far more than just me. I could forgive you. It is not me you need to explain your disappearance to. I am logical. I will accept your reasoning, whatever it may be."

 

Dean yanked himself away from Sam and he stalked to the other side of the room, feeling Cas trail behind him. So at least now he knew. He'd been important, but not as important as her work. The same reason she had never visited enough. "Get out. You have Sam now. You don't need me."

 

"You are angry, even now?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Of course I am!" Dean snarled.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Dean," Castiel said softly, following him to the other side of the room. "I think you should listen to her. Even if you decide not to forgive her, at least talk to her. I fear you'll severely regret it if you don't."

 

He put a hand on Dean's tense shoulder. "I'll be right here beside you, whatever you decide."

 

Gabriel looked from Dean to Sam to Mary and marveled at the incredible twist of fate. But he couldn't help but wonder if Mary's re-appearance meant that Sam's main directive to protect them all would revert to its old setting and focus on Mary. He swallowed down his insecurities. This wasn't about him. This was about Sam and Dean and their family. Gabriel would deal with whatever came after.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Dean sighed and deflated. Cas was right. Damn him for being right about this. "Why have you magically reappeared now?"

 

Mary smiled at Sam as she walked closer to Dean. "Michael saved me. My research was going to fall into the wrong hands. He ensured it was destroyed. I couldn't risk the same people who were after me coming after you and Sam."

 

"So you disappeared on me and Dad, and you left the droid you gave free will to, sitting in a pod in stasis for decades!?" Dean shouted and pressed a hand to his face. "I don't know what you want from me. I won't help you."

 

"I know sweetheart. I don't want anything from you. I want you to be happy, and from the look of that other young man, you are." She smiled. "You grew up so well Dean. I'm so proud of you."

 

Dean bit down on his lip, a small cry threatening to break free. "Mom..."

 

"I know sweetheart, I know."

 

S.A.M. walked back over to Gabriel and wrapped his arms around him. "I'd like to introduce you to her, Gabriel. May I?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel nodded, still reeling from the strange twist of fate. He held out his hand and smiled. "Dr. Winchester, nice to meet you. In a manner of speaking I'm a huge fan of your work," he joked, winking at Sam. Even if he was about to lose Sam, Gabriel wasn't about to show his insecurities.

 

Dean looked like he needed a moment to breathe, so Gabriel happily played distraction. He always was excellent at charming the pants off people. "I've heard so much about you from Sam here, and I have to say nothing was exaggerated."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Mary laughed and shook his hand. "Good to know that I don’t disappoint. Thank you for taking care of Sam for me."

 

S.A.M. looked down at Gabriel and kissed his temple. "Mary, this is Gabriel." He held the human close, and looked up at her. "I love him," he added, smiling down at the human in his arms again. It was obvious to see how surprised she was at that statement and S.A.M. frowned. "Mary?"

 

"Sam, sweetheart, you don't know what love is. I-"

 

S.A.M. smiled again. "Love is a word, Mary. That is all. What I feel is real."

 

Mary frowned and looked to Michael. "This is why you brought me up here, isn't it?"

 

"Correct. Everything you have told me about this droid does not indicate that he should be able to fall in love. I need you to look at his base code and confirm." Michael looked to Gabriel. "He is just a droid."

 

"I don’t know what-"

 

Michael raised an eyebrow. "You will check, Mary. He nearly killed my brother. I need to know that he is not a threat to others." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't his main focus have shifted back to you by now?"

 

Mary frowned and strode towards a nearby computer in the room. "Yes. The subroutine should have activated it."

 

"I cancelled it," S.A.M. said. "My main focus will stay on Gabriel, Dean, Castiel and Kali, where it belongs." When all eyes in the room swung to him, he squeezed Gabriel once more before striding over to the computer. "I will show you."

 

Mary looked back to the computer and waited until Sam had come over to as well and plugged himself in.  He was only plugged in for a matter of moments before he disconnected himself. "Sam?"  

 

"You know my code better than anyone else, Mary. I am certain that there are subroutines you could activate to return me to my natural state." S.A.M. strode away from the computer. "There is a copy of my code there now, for you peruse."  

 

Mary smiled. "Sam. I never taught you to be so cynical. I would not have hurt you."  

 

S.A.M. stopped in front of Gabriel with his back to her. "No. I do not believe you would have. But my remaining in this state involves the happiness of more than just myself." He looked down at Gabriel and smiled. "I will not give that up."  

 

Mary sighed and pulled up another file on the computer. "Dean. Come here. I have a feeling Sam will not believe me if only I tell him."  She keyed up another program and began to read through Sam's code, her eyes going wide.  

 

"What is it?" Michael demanded, stepping closer to the computer.  

 

"He's changed his core code. Not just in once place. In several," Mary whispered, typing frantically.  

 

Dean leaned over his shoulder and frowned, watching his mother type commands into the computer, two separate lines of code appearing.  "What's that?"  

 

Mary pointed to the other side. "This is Sam's original code. Free will, everything I programmed into him." She pointed to the same set of code that looked nothing alike. "This is his code now."  

 

Dean's eyes widened and he stared. "Sam, you've been rewriting your own code?"  

 

S.A.M. didn't look away from Gabriel as he smiled again. "Of course. I changed. Naturally, my coding would follow the same course." He reached out and touched Gabriel's face. "I had to change. I had a reason to change."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel felt weak in the knees from relief. Sam was going to keep his programming. No one would take him away from Gabriel. Giddy with joy, he reached up and yanked Sam down for a frantic kiss. "God, I love you. I'm in love with the world's most advanced toaster oven, and holy crap, I've never been happier. I don't care what anyone says, I'm calling this love, and fuck anyone who argues."

 

When he finally managed to pull away, he stayed close, clutching Sam's hand in his. He still wasn't sure what was going to happen to them all, but if anyone tried to separate him and Sam, they would have to go through Gabriel first.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. grinned at Gabriel when he pulled away from the kiss. Happiness felt good. Holding Gabriel close like this felt even better.  

 

Michael sighed. "As touching as all of these confessions and realizations are, I need to know if he is going to try to kill anyone else." He strode to the computer. "Pull up the coding for that."

 

Mary typed in a few lines, looking at the reflection of Gabriel and Sam in the monitor screen as the code started to scroll.  She paused it.  "Here is what I had written.  While he had the ability to override the three laws, he would not have been able to kill a human."  

 

She looked to the other screen and pointed it out to Dean. "See here?  He's installed a subroutine." Mary hit another key and opened it. As she read it, she smiled. "Care to interpret Dean?"  

 

Dean frowned and re-read the code twice to make sure it was correct. "In the event that Gabriel, Castiel or myself are in danger of being killed, Sam can use any and all means necessary to keep us safe." He glanced up at his mother and then at Michael. "That implies more than simple harm."  

 

"And how does he make the choice? Is it a decision made by him?" Michael turned to look at the droid. "Sam? Answer me."  

 

S.A.M. looked up from Gabriel and stared at the three people in front of a computer. "It is a choice. If they are in harm's way, I will do anything to protect them. I installed the subroutine after I came to trust Gabriel and Castiel. I had not done what was necessary to protect Mary once." He looked to her and watched her eyes widen. "Perhaps if I had been able to, your son would not have thought you dead for all these years. I would not allow that to happen again."  

 

Michael frowned and walked closer to Gabriel and the droid. "And how, exactly, do you make that determination, droid? How do you keep yourself from killing any time they are in danger. They are in danger right now."  

 

"You're right." S.A.M. stared back at Michael and then smiled. "But you are not holding a gun to any of their heads and threatening to shoot. I would much prefer to simply incapacitate you and leave with them."  

 

Michael rubbed his temples in frustration. "We need, Mary needs you here, droid. You are the only one who can safely perform the power transfer to create the rods."  

 

"No." S.A.M. felt Gabriel tense in his arms, but he stared straight back at the human. "I will not."  

 

"Sam..." Mary stood up and walked towards Sam. "I need you to transfer the power. Please."  

 

S.A.M. snapped his eyes to Mary. "For how long?" When she didn't answer, he shook his head. "Find another method."  

 

"There isn't one!" Mary sighed and fought down the surge of frustration. "Only a droid could do it. You know this Sam. And only a droid with the same power source could do the transfer of power."  

 

"So create another droid with the same source of power as Sam," Dean suggested, standing up from the computer after having surreptitiously deleted Sam's new code. No need for that to fall into the wrong hands.  

 

Mary looked from Dean to Sam. "None of them have been able to exist for more than a month. Even with the altered power source, it's too much for them. You're… you're special, Sam. You always have been."  

 

S.A.M. looked around the room, from Michael, to Mary, to Dean. "You have not been able to recreate the process?"  

 

Mary shook her head in frustration. "No."  

 

Michael stared at the droid. "You will do as we ask."  

 

S.A.M. turned to Michael. "Are you threatening us? After what you have learned of my code, you should realize that is not a wise course of action."

 

Michael stared at the droid, at the way he stepped in front of Gabriel, just enough to make his intent clear. "You can't get out of here."  

 

"No." S.A.M. kept smiling and walked closer. "You have ensured that in every possible way. But you also cannot force me to do as you ask."  

 

"Gabriel could," Michael shot back, looking at his brother.  

 

"He could." S.A.M. nodded. "But he will not. You see, Michael. We are at a stalemate."  

 

Michael narrowed his eyes. "And what do you suggest, droid? That we let you go?"  

 

"Yes," S.A.M. said. "I suggest that you let this go. This power is too much for anyone." He looked over at Mary. "You told me that once. That putting this power in the hands of someone who would abuse it is a worse thought than the universe going without it."  

 

Mary stiffened and stared back at him before deflating and smiling. "You've grown up so much, Sam."  

 

"I will not let you go!" Michael snarled, stalking closer to the droid.  

 

S.A.M. tilted his head and stared at Michael. "Then I will buy our way off this ship. I will give you what you want."  

 

Michael froze and stared at the droid. "What?"  

 

S.A.M. reached down into his boot and pulled out a small leather pouch. He heard Mary's intake of breath. "We created hundreds of these. I imagine that most of them were destroyed with HS-01, weren't they, Mary?"  

 

"Sam..."  

 

S.A.M. held up the brighter of the two rods between his thumb and forefinger and showed it to Michael.  "This is what you want, isn't it?"  

 

Michael stared at it, then glanced back quickly to Mary. "Is that it?"  

 

Mary gave a small nod. "Yes. It is."  

 

"This comes with a price," S.A.M. announced. "You will cease pursuing Gabriel, Dean and Castiel. You will let us go. You will keep Lucifer imprisoned for his crime. And you will never, ever come after me again."  

 

Michael scoffed. "You have nothing to hold me to that price."  

 

S.A.M. stared at Michael. "You let me on one of your ships computers." He took a step closer. "I know every thing you have ever done, that you have ever ordered done. I have proof. Every person you have ordered killed, all the money you have stolen. I have you now." He held out the rod.  

 

"If you follow us, I will make sure that information is placed in the hands of every planet throughout the federated territories and beyond." S.A.M. stared at Michael. "After all. I am a droid, and I cannot lie to humans." He looked to Mary. "Perhaps she can take this and create a way to transfer the power. Perhaps she cannot. But you will leave us, Michael, or I will ruin you."  

 

Michael stared at the droid who was holding out the small rod in front of him. He looked to Gabriel. "You always did know how to pick 'em little brother." He turned his eyes back to the droid. "Very well. I agree."  

 

S.A.M. put the rod back into the pouch and tucked it safely into his boot. "Once we are in Kali and free from the reach of your EMP cannons, you may board the ship and collect it."  

 

S.A.M. looked back to Mary and smiled. She looked both heartbroken and proud. "I will miss you, Mary." He reached down and took Gabriel's hand again. "Gabriel?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Damn, kiddo, put me down as scared AND horny after that badassery," Gabriel said with a gleeful leer and squeezed Sam's hand before turning to Mary. "It was nice to meet you, Doctor, hope we cross paths again in the future, since we're family now, in a way." He turned his eyes to Michael. "I believe my better half here has said what needs to be said. Don't expect a Christmas card," he added with a cold smile.

 

Meanwhile Castiel fidgeted, sending Dean worried glares where he was hovering in the back, obviously eager to leave. He did finally set his shoulders and stepped closer. "Dean. Dean, listen to me. I know you're hurt, but please, do yourself the favor of speaking to her before we leave. Family is important. You never have to speak to her again if you don't want to, but take the chance now that she's here."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled down at Gabriel as they walked towards the door and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Perhaps we could take advantage of that when we are in free space?" He gave Gabriel's hand another slow squeeze and stood by the door, waiting for Dean and Castiel.  

 

Dean swallowed and looked at Cas before letting his eyes slide over to Mary. He walked over to her and stopped in front of her. "I can pretend I understand. Just… did you… was it hard? To leave?"  

 

Mary smiled sadly.   "It was the hardest thing I have ever done, Dean. If there had been a way to not risk you and contact you, please believe I would have done it."  

 

"I'm not sure I can." Dean felt Cas move to stand behind him, one warm hand pressed to his back. "I want to believe you, but who says you aren't going to disappear on me again?"  

 

"Perhaps, when I contact Sam again, I might ask after you?" Mary suggested, watching Dean look up at her in surprise. "I'd like that, Dean."  

 

"I'd like that too… Mom." Dean choked on the word and looked back to Cas. "I'll… talk to you soon?"  

 

Mary smiled. "Yes. I believe you will." She nodded to the other young man as he ushered Dean towards the door. They were an odd little family, certainly. Sam and Dean had obviously done well for themselves. "Travel safely boys."  

 

Michael frowned and left the room, evidently going to arrange letting them go.  

 

S.A.M. led Gabriel back to the ship and looked at Dean and Castiel. They were safe. They'd all made it. He exhaled and touched his hand along the wall. Somehow, they'd all made it free. "Stop just inside boarding distance, Gabriel." He directed as they flew away from the massive military ship.  

 

Michael appeared a moment later and held his hand out. "Now, if you please."  

 

S.A.M smiled and dropped the rod into Michael's hand. "Goodbye." When Michael had disappeared, he looked to Gabriel as they immediately blasted away from the ship. They were free now. "Gabriel...?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Bye bro, don't let the transporter smack you on the ass on your way out!"

 

He turned to Sam at the mention of his name. "Not that I'm not totally in favor of celebrating your completely badass rescue of all of our butts just now, I'm just a little bit too paranoid. I'm gonna steer Kali through to some backwater systems just to be sure." He slinked up closer to Sam and wound his arms around the strong waist. "However, if you wanna go warm my bed, I promise I'll be ready to snuggle up with you there in an hour or two," he purred.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled and leaned down to kiss Gabriel, soft and slow. "Acceptable." He pulled away just enough to release Gabriel and made his way to Gabriel's room, letting himself in before stripping free of his clothing to fall into the bed. He could smell Gabriel here, feel the residual touches of his warmth as he sank into the sheets.  

 

It was easy to remember how Gabriel had touched him before, warm hands pressed into his hips. S.A.M. pressed his face into Gabriel's pillow and closed his eyes, remembering it, how Gabriel had felt, coming apart in his hands like that. He would cherish and remember it for a very long time.  

  
How would Gabriel touch him now?  S.A.M. closed his eyes and stretched out across the soft sheets, imagining it. Perhaps slowly. Maybe now, they could take their time with each other now that they were not running any longer. He could spend hours kissing Gabriel, making him smile and groan, all sorts of noises that he wanted to hear again and again.


	10. Chapter 10

Gabriel spent some quality time with Kali, lovingly steering her through some tricky asteroid fields and small moons, and she practically purred under his hands. They'd already been far off the beaten track when Michael caught up to them, so it didn't take too long for them to reach some sparsely populated areas, excellent for hiding in. He knew these areas like the back of his hand, though, so most of his thoughts were with Sam. Sam who was probably in Gabriel's bed right now. Possibly naked. The thought was very appealing.

 

Dean and Castiel had made themselves scarce too, but Gabriel seriously doubted they had plans as steamy as he did.

 

Because boy, did he have plans.

 

He finally let Kali take over the flying and very nearly broke a limb or two in his haste to get to his bunk. Not that he could find it in himself to regret it when he slammed the door behind him and was greeted by a Sam who was indeed very naked, sprawled over his bed and smiling in the most welcoming way. Jeez, Gabriel felt like the luckiest man in the universe.

 

"Fuck, you look good in my bed," he breathed and immediately started shrugging out of his clothes.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. sat up a little on the bed and watched as Gabriel began to disrobe, leaving his clothing in a messy heap on the floor. It was pleasing to see. He smiled and moved aside so Gabriel would have room. "I much prefer your bed to my own," S.A.M. admitted, reaching out to pull Gabriel close. "It's warm. Like you."  

 

It took him a moment to revel in the feel of all of Gabriel's skin against his before S.A.M. tilted his head up and kissed Gabriel again, slowly, savoring the touch. Perfect. Utterly perfect. "I want to touch you Gabriel. Take my time. May I?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"You can do whatever the hell you want, kiddo," Gabriel murmured against Sam's lips. "I'm all yours. Anything you want." He pressed in as close as he could get, skin against skin in as many places as possible, and held them tightly together, his arms locking around Sam's broad back. "You don't even have to ask. Anything you want, just go for it. I promise I'll let you know if I don't like it."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"All right."  S.A.M. shifted so he could roll them both and have Gabriel above him, licking his lips to stare up. "Will you take me?" He reached down and wrapped his hand around Gabriel's erection, stroking him in a slow rhythm he knew would be a tease. "I wish to be able to feel you inside me. Please?"  

 

His hips bucked up, and S.A.M. let his free hand trail down Gabriel's back, stroking at the soft skin as he spread his legs a little wider and let Gabriel fall in between them.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Jesus fuck, yes," Gabriel gasped, and surged up for another hungry kiss, before settling between Sam's welcoming legs. "Shit, you're so gorgeous."

 

And he really was. Seemingly miles and miles of smooth, unblemished skin for Gabriel to worship. Had Sam been human, Gabriel would have felt insecure, but, weirdly, it gave him a strange sense of freedom knowing that Sam had had no say in how his body looked. He was built after a generic model based on what a majority of people found attractive, and Gabriel wasn't immune to it at all. But what really got him was the adoring eyes and bed-mussed hair, not to mention the hands that were meant to move swift and sure, but instead touched slowly and cautiously, learning with every touch. Sam truly was extraordinary.

 

He allowed himself a few slow thrusts up against Sam's eager cock before sliding down lower and making himself comfortable on the mattress between Sam's legs. Not that Sam technically needed the prep, but Gabriel loved this part.

 

"Legs up, baby," he said softly, and reveled in the swift intake of breath from Sam as he ducked down and let his tongue trace below the full sack and slowly searching lower.

 

"Gabriel?" S.A.M. asked, lifting his legs as Gabriel had requested, his vocal processors out of control again as his voice was hoarse. "I don't require-ah!" Hot, wet and it was Gabriel, tongue pressed inside him and… S.A.M. shuddered, keeping his legs up and open. This felt so… good. Would things with Gabriel always be like this? Overwhelming and perfect? It was certainly looking this way.  

 

He dropped one hand to the mattress and struggled to hold himself still. S.A.M. wanted to buck and move, heat shuddering over his processors as Gabriel didn't stop. His hips made small movements, rocking back into and against Gabriel. "Ah, Gabriel, please." What was he asking for? More? Yes. More. Always more with Gabriel. Always. "More, please."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel didn't bother answering. He had better things to do with his tongue. He could feel the small jerks of Sam's hips as if wanting to push down to meet him, and Gabriel pulled gently on his hips to encourage the movements. He could definitely handle a bit of bucking and squirming, not to mention that the thought of Sam having trouble controlling himself was just brain-searingly hot.

 

He stabbed his tongue inside Sam's velvet heat as far as it could go, and Sam still asked for more, so Gabriel added a finger, sliding slowly inside with hardly any resistance.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. couldn't help the small gasps and noises that started to escape as Gabriel continued to press his tongue into him. They certainly weren't commands he was giving and he had no idea if Gabriel liked them, but he couldn't seem to stop them either.  

 

Then Gabriel pressed a finger inside him and S.A.M. squirmed, his hips rocking back. He had been built to accommodate size, but this, this felt hot and good. Another part of Gabriel inside him. "Gabriel, ah, please.  More." S.A.M. held onto his thighs and kept his legs spread. He wanted, needed more and Gabriel's touches encouraged him to keep moving.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Don't worry, gorgeous, I got ya," Gabriel said, stroking a soothing hand up Sam's quivering thigh before reaching for the bedside table to dig out some lube. He showed it to Sam triumphantly before popping the cap and drizzling a good glob onto his fingers, and easing them back down. He started with one finger again, making sure everything was nice and slick before adding another. Sam took it easily, as one would expect, but Gabriel still took his time. He liked doing this, liked the feeling of Sam clenching tightly around his fingers and jolting slightly as he crooked them just right. Thank god for meticulous droid designers and the time they spent on anatomy details.

 

Gabriel grinned with joy at the sight of Sam clawing at the sheets and panting like he really did need air and wasn't getting it, and it was the perfect time to bend down and lick a careful circle around the head of his cock where liquid was already beading, wonderfully mimicking human responses.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M.'s whole body went taut as Gabriel licked across his erection. Some of the most powerful sensors his body had were there, designed to mimic sensation when he needed to feel it. But like this, it was overwhelming and he trembled. "Gabriel, I, ah...."  

 

He reached down and combed his fingers through Gabriel's hair, tugging lightly. There was so much heat, he was so warm and it was all from Gabriel and Gabriel was hot and warm and perfect and all he wanted was more. "Please, Gabriel. You feel so good."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel hummed happily around Sam's cock as he sank lower, slurping lewdly because that's how he liked sex. Messy, loud and passionate. And if Sam's reactions were anything to go by, Sam approved. Gabriel slowly pushed a third finger inside, and it went as easy as the first two, fitting inside Sam like they were made to. Everything was hot and slick, and every thrust of his fingers made wet, obscene noises that made Gabriel's own cock throb with anticipation with the knowledge of what was coming. But not yet. Not yet.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. thrashed on the bed, Gabriel's name leaving him in a series of small gasps. Gabriel was driving him wild like this, how was he supposed to take this and make it better for Gabriel. He recorded every sound, every moment, hoping that he would be able to relive them again and again with Gabriel.

 

"Gabriel, it's so, ah, it feels so good," S.A.M. panted, tugging at Gabriel's hair again, wanting him closer. "Please, I need more, please," he whispered, pulling his legs further apart and separate. "Want you closer, Gabriel. Please," he begged.

  
  


~!~

  
  


At any other time Gabriel would have enjoyed spending a lot more time just teasing Sam and enjoying the begging, but what they had was still so new and Gabriel wasn't made of steel. He followed the beckoning, climbing up for a long, sensual kiss, nibbling and sucking on Sam's lips until they were flushed and swollen perfectly.

 

"I'm right here," he mumbled, catching Sam's lower lip between his teeth one last time before sliding lower again. Damn their height difference, really, because Gabriel would have loved nothing more than to keep kissing Sam while they were joined, but that would have to wait until they did it the other way around.

 

He slicked himself quickly but thoroughly, hitched his elbows under Sam's strong legs, bending them upwards until the angle was better. Sam was flexible enough for it and folded himself easily, his ass resting on Gabriel's thighs as he slowly pushed inside.

 

"That's it, baby," Gabriel panted, forcing himself to go slow even though Sam probably could have taken him immediately. Gabriel wanted it to be slow and gentle, unwilling to miss even a single second of it. "That's it. So good for me, fuck. So gorgeous."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. arched as Gabriel slid inside him, slow enough that his whole body was shivering. Every sensor and every nerve ending felt hot to the point of overheating, but all he wanted was more. More of Gabriel, more of this feeling and he wanted Gabriel to move, to give him more!

 

"You're beautiful," he announced, his voice quiet as Gabriel finished pressing inside him. He was hot and big and perfect and everything he could have wanted. He shifted and wrapped a single leg around Gabriel's waist, opening himself up even wider. "So hot, Gabriel, you're warm and I want you as close as I can possibly get you." S.A.M. dropped his hands to Gabriel's hips and pulled him in closer.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Still regretful that he couldn't reach Sam's lips, Gabriel instead granted Sam his wish and pressed in as close as he possibly could. He let Sam's legs drop so they would wrap around his waist instead, and bent forward until he could press butterfly kisses to Sam's chest in between every slow thrust. "You are... amazing... sexy... beautiful... lovely...awesome... gorgeous," Gabriel whispered after every kiss, pushing in as deep as he could go, wishing it was more.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. tightened his hands against Gabriel's skin and tightened his legs around his waist. He rocked back into every thrust, groaning as he did. "Gabriel, yes, I want you close like this, yes, please." His eyelids fluttered and S.A.M. bit down on his lip, his thighs trembling as Gabriel began to move a little faster.

 

Every sensor in his body felt alive and overwhelmed with heat and S.A.M. clung to Gabriel, desperate for more. "Gabriel, yes, so good." He combed his fingers through Gabriel's hair, tugging gently at it. He wanted to keep speaking, his speech controls were going haywire. He could feel the subroutine ready to activate and he could already tell that it would not take much to do so. "Gabriel, Gabriel, I need, please..."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel felt lightheaded and giddy. Being able to give Sam everything he was begging for was like a drug, and Gabriel's hips snapped faster as Sam urged him on.

 

"Come on, baby, show me," Gabriel panted. "Show me how good you feel. Don't wait for me. I wanna see. Wanna see how good it is for you. How good /I/ am for you. Show me, come on, baby, please." He jabbed in harder, adjusting his angle to make Sam feel even better, and kept his eyes fixed on Sam's face as they both neared the edge.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. cried out, not bothering to modulate his vocal processors any longer. Gabriel was perfect, all of it was perfect and felt so good that he could not force himself to focus on making this as good for Gabriel as he should.

 

"Gabriel, I..." Gabriel's words made it impossible to do anything else but obey. He was perfect and wanted their mutual pleasure and S.A.M. loved him all the more for it. His legs flexed, pulling Gabriel in deeper as he shouted Gabriel's name, the command to lose himself in pleasure enough to do so, his whole body going tight, then loose in relaxation. The languish feeling was enough have him falling lax back onto the bed a moment later.

 

"Now you, Gabriel, please," S.A.M. whispered, tilting his hips back to give Gabriel the best possible angle. "Want you to feel good too, please."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Yeah... yeah, that's it, sweetheart. Show me... show me," Gabriel said hoarsely, watching with eyes glued to the beautiful sight of Sam falling apart. "Fuck, so beautiful," he breathed, and then groaned as Sam clenched around him and then went slack. His pleas for Gabriel to follow him weren't hard to follow. He was close, so very close, and it only took a few more juddering thrusts before he spent himself, and then let himself tilt slowly down to rest his forehead on Sam's chest, keeping them connected for as long as possible while catching his breath.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. reached up to comb his fingers through Gabriel's hair, admiring the sight of him like this. So relaxed and beautiful. "I love you, Gabriel," he whispered, wanting to lean down and kiss him until they both couldn't breathe any longer. "I will always love you," he whispered, contentment leaking out of every inch of him.

  
  


~!~

  
  


The second Gabriel softened enough that he slipped out, he immediately crawled up higher so he could wind his arms around Sam's neck and kiss him deeply. "Love you, Sam," he murmured between kisses. "Love you so much. So so much."

  
He was too mellow and lax to even feel any awkwardness over being sappy as hell. All he felt was bone-deep contentment and so much love it felt like he was gonna burst with it. And Sam was right there with him, agreeing in every kiss and sigh. Gabriel couldn't remember ever having been this happy in his life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you say: More porn?! Okay then!
> 
> IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER, LOVELIES! But don't despair, we have a few timestamps for you, coming up in the next few weeks!
> 
> In any case, this has been an amazing ride for Aria and me, and we hope you've enjoyed it too! Stay tuned for more RPs from us in the future, or come play with us on Tumblr. 
> 
> YOU ALL ROCK! <3

S.A.M. watched Gabriel sleep for a few hours, the exhaustion of the past few days taking its toll. Thankfully, Gabriel now appeared to be resting deeply. He stroked his hand lightly up Gabriel's back and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Gabriel breathing next to him. It was an easy thing to lose himself in.

 

After another period of time, his mind started to wander. S.A.M. had to wonder what it would be like to return the same touches Gabriel had given him. To take Gabriel's erection into his mouth, to prepare him with his tongue… what would that feel like,

 

He shifted when he realized that he was ready for additional pleasure. He should let Gabriel rest. S.A.M. shifted his hips back and kept up the gentle touches.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel woke up in the best way. Everything was warm and comfortable, and the small sounds of Sam's artificial body were soothing in his ear. He snuggled up against Sam's firm chest and scraped his day-old stubble against the warm skin.

 

"Mmmmmmm," he purred. "Can I wake up like this for the rest of my life?"

 

The hands stroking his back made him want to go back to sleep, but that would mean wasting time sleeping when he could be enjoying Sam's company. And that seemed like the worst idea in the world.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled down at Gabriel and leaned down to kiss him. He let his hand slip even lower to cup the curve of Gabriel's ass, squeezing slowly. "I am more than willing to oblige if that is what you wish," he said, shivering at the sensation of Gabriel's beard growth against his chest.

 

"Perhaps, if we have time now, you might enjoy… how did you put it?" S.A.M. paused, thinking about it. "Tangling the sheets with me?" He grinned at Gabriel. "Again?"

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Oh, baby, we have nothing /but/ time," Gabriel murmured and squirmed happily under Sam's hands. "And this is one time where I really love the fact that you're a droid, because normally I would have wanted a shower by now. But there's literally nothing gross about you anywhere, and it would be a fucking crime to get out of this comfy bed right now."

 

He smiled widely and reached up for a slow, promising kiss, rubbing his slowly hardening cock gently against Sam's stomach. "And for the record, I'd love to tangle sheets with you as much as possible, sweetheart."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. gave Gabriel a pleased smile and leaned in closer to him, his hands fitting perfectly over Gabriel's hips. "I would enjoy that. Perhaps I will not let you leave bed for the rest of the day." He smiled up at Gabriel. "Bring you your favorite foods so you can enjoy them properly here and take my time to… learn you." He let his eyes trail down and over Gabriel's body before looking back up to those golden eyes he loved.  

 

"I want to do to you what you did to me. Will you let me?" he asked, stealing another quick and slow kiss from Gabriel. "Take you in my mouth, get you ready with my tongue and fingers." S.A.M. shifted so he was laying over Gabriel and stared down at him happily. "What would you like to do, Gabriel? I want to do whatever you want."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"That... uh..." Gabriel's voice cracked and he had to try again. "That sounds... all of that... fuck yes. All of it. Holy shit, we gotta put dirty talk on your to-do list." Even though Sam wasn't talking dirty per se, hearing him saying in detail what he wanted to do was more than enough to bring Gabriel from half mast to fully hard so fast it hurt a little. They were /definitely/ exploring that later.

 

He opened his legs wide in blatant invitation and sighed with pleasure when Sam accepted it and slipped in between, pressing close and offering more kisses. Gabriel hummed happily against the soft lips and combed his fingers through Sam's messy locks.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. grinned down at Gabriel. "I would like that. Especially if you enjoy it." He kissed Gabriel again before sliding down his body to press a kiss to his chest and then to his belly button. "And I want to know what you taste like..."

 

He spread Gabriel's legs a little wider and pressed another kiss to the inside of his thigh. "Tell me if I hurt you, Gabriel." S.A.M. said, leaning down to suck the tip of Gabriel's cock into his mouth. Hot, salty, heavy and perfect. He dropped his hands to Gabriel's hips to help them tip upward as he swallowed more of Gabriel down.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I- ah! I /seriously/ doubt that'll happen," Gabriel gasped, his hips hitching upwards before he could stop it. "Holy shit, kiddo, your /mouth/!"

 

He tried to form more words, but they came out garbled because all available brain cells were racing south to Sam's warm lips and wet tongue. He was working his way down Gabriel's length, innocently exploring with no real talent to it, but Gabriel felt near tears from how /good/ it was. He tangled his hands in Sam's hair, trying desperately not to push or pull, but his fingers kept twitching with every delicious pass of Sam's amazing mouth.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. gave a pleased hum, hoping the extra sensation would be something that Gabriel would enjoy. From the louder moan that escaped, it seemed that he was right in thinking that Gabriel liked it. When Gabriel kept giving abortive tugs and thrusts into his mouth, S.A.M. pulled away to look up at him. "Gabriel. You cannot hurt me. I have no gag reflex. Pull my hair, thrust into my mouth, please. I want to feel you. I want you to enjoy it. Please."  

 

He slowly took Gabriel back into his mouth again, licking and sucking at him as he felt Gabriel's fingers tug harder at his hair and his hips start to rock slowly and deeper. S.A.M. looked up again and tilted his hips a little more before cupping his sac carefully in his hands, squeezing gently, carefully, staring up at Gabriel to judge his reaction.  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel very nearly lost his mind when Sam asked him to fuck his mouth. He had a good point, but it felt rude to just go ahead and do it. However, when one was /asked/ to...

 

He was still cautious at first, gently testing Sam's claim and giving him a chance to get used to the sensation. But then curious fingers searched lower, and Gabriel's hips stuttered. He let out a garbled moan, and thrust up into Sam's welcoming heat, while thanking the heavens that he'd already come earlier, or this would have been over in a snap.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. shifted to pull his mouth away and licked across the tip of Gabriel's erection, tasting the burst if salt. He smiled and pressed a kiss to Gabriel's hip. "You taste good Gabriel. I like it when you start to lose control like that. Maybe next time I can make you reach orgasm like that?" he suggested, kissing Gabriel's inner thigh.  

 

He shifted and helped Gabriel get comfortable with a pillow under his hips. S.A.M. looked up at Gabriel and placed a hand on the small of his back, lifting him to the proper height. "I can help hold you here so you do not need to hold onto your legs," he offered, leaning closer to mimic what Gabriel had gone, a slow lick in a broad swipe over his hole.  

 

Encouraged by the loud moan from Gabriel, S.A.M. repeated it, several times over until Gabriel was quivering. Then, and only then, did he press his tongue further in, allowing himself to be swept away by the heat of Gabriel's body. It was perfect and intoxicating. He could not taste enough.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel was pretty sure he was babbling. He was definitely making some kind of noise, but he couldn't for the life of him imagine anyone who wouldn't in his situation. He couldn't quite reach Sam where he was currently blowing Gabriel's mind to hell and back, so instead he clawed at the sheets, the side of the bed and his own hair. Anything to keep him from flying right off into space.

 

"Jesusfuckshitgodfuckshitfuck," he stuttered, or something similar at least, calling out to deities and demons alike, because he was losing it.

 

"Sam... Sam... /Sam/!" He was begging now. Because if something didn't change soon, it would all be over. He hadn't had a hair trigger like this since his teens, but Sam turned everything on its head for Gabriel, and he dug his feet into Sam's shoulder blades to make him do /something/.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. pulled away and licked his lips slowly, staring at Gabriel. He was flushed and panting, his whole body trembling. "You're so beautiful Gabriel," S.A.M. whispered, running a hand slowly up Gabriel's thigh.

 

A moment later he grabbed the lubricant that Gabriel had used on him, and drizzled some over his fingers. He tested the consistency for a moment before looking up at Gabriel. "May I finish, or would you like me to do something else to you instead?" He smiled.

  
  


~!~

  
  


"You... you..." Gabriel panted, stopping to swallow hard before he could continue. "You just... keep doing what you're doing. Just... oh fuck, just don't be shocked if I come in like two seconds."

 

He squirmed on the mattress, completely failing to control himself, his hips hitching upwards in tiny jerks, eager to get Sam's hands back on him. It had been quite a while since he's been fucked, but he felt desperate to join with Sam again, in any way he could. He half wished he could fuse them together forever, forget about the rest of the world, nothing left but the two of them, twined together into one being, blissful and intimate.

 

"Please, Sam, /please/."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"Don't worry," S.A.M. said, his voice soft. "It will be all right. I will take care of you, and if you come, I will love every second of it." He mirrored Gabriel's actions from before, pressing a finger in slowly, trying to be gentle, pressing a kiss to Gabriel's heart.

 

Gabriel's body was so much hotter on the inside and S.A.M. groaned. He would be inside Gabriel soon. He would make him feel so very good. "You are warm and hot and perfect Gabriel," he whispered. "I want to touch you like this forever."

  
  


~!~

  
  


"I am soooo okay with that, you have /no/ idea, ah!" He bucked up into the touch, the burn shocking and perfect at the same time. It faded almost immediately, swallowed up by his desire, and he shoved back on Sam's finger at a breakneck pace, already racing towards the peak despite his best efforts. His stomach was slick and messy where his cock leaked steadily, and he wheezed with effort of just pulling in enough air.

 

"Please fuck, Sam, oh god, more, please, I swear I can take it, please, oh /fuck/." He grit his teeth trying to hold back. He so desperately wanted to hold out until Sam was inside him, but at this rate that was a pipe dream. But Gabriel still wanted it, and even if he couldn't hold out, it would still be wonderful getting fucked within an inch of his life, used and loved and worked open and raw. Just thinking about it made Gabriel's cock blurt out yet another heavy drop of pre-come.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. pressed in another finger and grinned when Gabriel arched and cried out, his body moving in one continuous motion. He dropped his other hand and circled the base of Gabriel's erection with his fingers, squeezing just tight enough. "There," he said, smiling down at the human.

 

He continued his stretching of Gabriel, each touch soft and gentle before he pressed in a third finger. "Someday soon," S.A.M. said, "I will make you reach orgasm just like this and watch you fall apart under me." He curled his fingers inside Gabriel just enough to stroke over his prostate. "And I will kiss you with every sound you make, every cry that escapes you," he promised.

 

S.A.M. pressed another kiss to Gabriel's sternum. "I love you."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Choked gasps and broken moans were all Gabriel could utter, or he would have returned the sentiment. As it was, all he could do was sweat, pant and shove himself shamelessly onto Sam's fingers, wordlessly begging for more, more, /more/. The tight circle around his cock was torture, yet a blessing, keeping the end from approaching too soon, and Gabriel nearly sobbed as he felt the wave fall back, giving him room to breathe. He didn't waste his chance.

 

"Sam! Sam, please fuck me now, quick, before I come. I don't wanna come until you're inside me. Love you so much, /fuck/."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. smiled down at Gabriel, pulling his fingers away a moment later, coating his own erection in lubricant. He leaned up and kissed Gabriel, gentle and slow as he positioned himself and then started to press in.

 

A low groan left him, his vocal processors once again out of control and overwhelmed with sensation. "Gabriel," S.A.M. panted against his lips. He was careful to move slow, pressing in a little more at a time. He was not built small and he wanted to ensure that no harm would come to Gabriel while he was taken. "You're so..." He kept one hand around the base of Gabriel's cock, the other clutching his hip.

 

He froze, holding himself still to allow Gabriel time to adjust. "I… you're… I've never felt anything like this, felt /you/ like this," S.A.M. whispered. "So good, Gabriel."

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel clung to Sam, arms and legs closed tightly around him, keeping them as close as possible. "Yes... yes... so good," Gabriel gasped, and pulled Sam down. "Don't stop. Kiss me, baby, and just... don't stop."

 

And Gabriel got his wish, their lips meeting wet and open, breaths mingling as they settled into a rhythm, tongues dancing and tangling with every kiss. It was heaven as well as sheer torture, Sam's tight grip still keeping Gabriel from tumbling over the brink as they rocked harder and faster. Gabriel groaned and whined into Sam's mouth, getting louder as Sam pushed deeper. So deep and so perfect that Gabriel felt wetness at the corner of his eye. And frankly, he couldn't give a shit.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. licked deeper into Gabriel's mouth, kissing him until he was sure that Gabriel's lips were sore, but he didn't want to stop, even then. Gabriel needed to reach his orgasm and S.A.M. wanted nothing more than to watch him fall over the edge. He removed his fingers from around the base of Gabriel's cock and began to stroke him, matching the pace of their rocking together.  

 

"I like it when you call me that. And Sam. But that even more," S.A.M. whispered, teasing his thumb across the tip of Gabriel's erection, watching him shudder as he leaned in for another kiss, their lips sliding together again. Perfect. Always so perfect with Gabriel. "Want to see you fall apart Gabriel, please. Won't you?"  

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel damn near wailed when the pressure lessened and became perfect, firm stroking instead. In barely a second he was hovering on the edge again, and he gritted his teeth together to hold on just a little longer. But apparently Sam wasn't having that. His words sliced through Gabriel like a blade, stabbing him right in the gut and yanking his pleasure from him in a dizzying lurch.

 

"Yes!" Gabriel cried, and then sobbed as he spilled himself all over them both, clenching down hard on the hot, perfect length inside him, until he felt wrung out and drained, dazed and blissed out.

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. lasted only long enough to watch the bliss fall over Gabriel's face, beautiful in the pure moment of surrender. He melted with a happy groan as the subroutine activated and sent pleasure washing over him in slow waves. Perfect, so very perfect.  

 

He stared down at Gabriel, enjoying the sight of relaxation and bliss that seemed to be flowing over him. "I'm so happy that you were the one to find me Gabriel," S.A.M. said, stroking his hand up Gabriel's thigh, massaging the trembling muscles. "I love you." He settled his ear over Gabriel's heart and smiled. "I wish there was a more powerful word for what I feel. Such a small word feels inadequate for everything I feel for you."  

  
  


~!~

  
  


"That makes two of us, kiddo," Gabriel said, voice rusty from passion and emotion. "And you're right. Love is such a tiny word, really. Boggles the mind."

 

He shook his head slightly. "But whatever words we use, I'll never let anyone take you away from me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." He nudged Sam until he raised his head and met his eyes. "I love you, Sam. I don't care what anyone thinks, I love every little nut and bolt keeping you together, and I pray to every god who'll listen to me that you'll stay with me forever."

  
  


~!~

  
  


S.A.M. held on a little tighter to Gabriel, leaning up to give him another slow kiss. "You don't need to pray to any gods. I am going to stay with you forever Gabriel." He smiled and kissed Gabriel again, slow and soft.

 

He shifted and brought one hand up to brush his fingers through Gabriel's hair and smiled. "I think I am happy Gabriel. Like this, with you, knowing that Dean and Castiel are safe, that you are all safe...I am happy." S.A.M. grinned and leaned down for another kiss.

 

"Which means that you should absolutely do something illegal. Restore the balance." He teased, stroking his fingers down Gabriel's neck, over the tendons again. Gabriel was so beautiful. He never wanted to stop touching him. Never ever.

  
  


~!~

  
  


Gabriel grinned. “Don’t mind if I do.”

 

And he did. Happily ever after.

  
End.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to hit us up on tumblr!
> 
>  
> 
> [Aria](http://aria-lerendeair.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> [Lady Drace](http://ladydrace.tumblr.com/)


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